Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary has
written to her counterpart calling on him to re-start the ‘Everyone In’
initiative that began in March.
Efforts by local authorities and charities earlier this
year helped 15,000 rough sleepers off the streets. However the
flow of people newly becoming homeless or rough sleeping has not
stopped. Recent data from London revealed that 3,444 people had
been sleeping rough between July and September this year, with
1,901 people sleeping rough for the first time. Homelessness
charities report a similar picture across the country.
In her letter, Ms Debbonaire writes:
“The ‘Everyone In’ initiative in March was an incredible
achievement by councils and charities, which saved hundreds of
lives. A repeat of this success will require strong leadership
and effective co-ordination from central Government.
“As we head into a second lockdown, the Government must
urgently re-start ‘Everyone In’ to protect rough sleepers from a
cold, dangerous winter.”
Ms Debbonaire also highlights the need for clear rules on
the use of self-contained accommodation rather than communal
night shelters, and calls on the Government to suspend no
recourse to public funds, to ensure that all rough sleepers can
access support.
Ends
Notes to Editors
· Data from CHAIN shows that the number of new
rough sleepers rose by 77% on last year: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports
· According to a study in The Lancet, 266
deaths were avoided during the first wave thanks to ‘Everyone
In’: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30396-9/fulltext
· Labour’s calls support similar requests from
homelessness charities and the Royal College of Physicians, who
have warned of a risk to life without a repeat of everyone in:
https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/medical-bodies-and-homelessness-organisations-warn-of-risk-to-life-without-action-to-protect-people-sleeping-rough-this-winter/
Full letter to
Dear Robert,
I’m writing to seek clarity on the support you will
providing to rough sleepers and other people experiencing
homelessness this winter.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister said: “from Thursday until
the start of December, you must stay at home.” For this to
happen, it is essential that everyone has a safe place to call
home.
The ‘Everyone In’ initiative in March was an incredible
achievement by councils and charities, which saved hundreds of
lives. A repeat of this success will require strong leadership
and effective co-ordination from central Government.
The flow of rough sleepers onto the streets has not stopped
since March. Recent data for London revealed that 3 444 people
had been sleeping rough between July and September this year,
with 1,901 people sleeping rough for the first time. The number
of young rough sleepers has increased by half.
As we head into a second lockdown, the Government must
urgently re-start ‘Everyone In’, to protect rough sleepers from a
cold, dangerous winter. Will you issue clear instruction from
central Government that everyone should be brought in off the
streets, and provide appropriate support for local authorities to
achieve this?
Recent guidance on the use of night shelters set out that,
although self-contained accommodation should be the ‘default’,
communal night shelters may be permitted to open. Will you
publish the advice you received from Public Health England on
this point? Nobody should have to choose between a potentially
unsafe communal shelter and spending the night on the streets.
Given the current rates of Covid-19, will you revise this
guidance to clarify that only self-contained accommodation should
be used, and provide local authorities with the support to
achieve this?
Finally, the first ‘Everyone In’ was a clear statement
that, no matter someone’s immigration status, they should be
brought in off the streets. Will you lift No Recourse to Public
Funds, and ensure that everybody is helped off the streets, as
happened in March?
I look forward to an urgent response to my letter. I would
be grateful for the chance to meet you to discuss these
concerns.
Yours sincerely,
