Rough sleeping falls but Shelter warns too many are being denied help

Thursday, 25 February 2021 10:59

The government has today released new snapshot figures on the number of people found to be sleeping rough in England on a given night in autumn 2020. They show: Despite the dangers of street homelessness during the pandemic, 2,688 people were recorded as sleeping rough on a given night in autumn 2020. Due to government efforts and ‘Everyone...Request free trial

The government has today released new snapshot figures on the number of people found to be sleeping rough in England on a given night in autumn 2020. They show:

Despite the dangers of street homelessness during the pandemic, 2,688 people were recorded as sleeping rough on a given night in autumn 2020.
Due to government efforts and ‘Everyone In’ the number of people recorded as street homeless was 37% lower than in 2019, but it was still 52% higher than in 2010 when the data first started being collected (1,768).
In 2020 the local authorities in England with the highest numbers of people sleeping rough were Westminster, Manchester and Bristol.

85% (2,277) of the people recorded as sleeping rough were men, and 14% (377) were women. It is believed the number of women is more likely to be underestimated because more women choose, for example, to sleep away from public walkways, and will be missed from counts as a result.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The huge effort made to help people off the streets shows what can be done. But the war is not won. No one should be sleeping rough during the pandemic, and we’re still a long way from zero.

“Emergency accommodation needs to be there for everyone at risk of the street, yet we know it’s not. Every week our frontline services pick up new cases of homeless people who are being point blank refused any help. Just one of the cases we’ve dealt with involved a frightened young man who was turned away no less than four times by the council in the dead of winter, because they said he wasn’t in ‘priority need’.

“Whether someone is offered a safe bed for the night instead of a cold pavement, should not be up for debate. The pandemic isn’t over, and we must continue to keep people safe. The government needs to ensure its hard work is not undone by giving councils explicit guidance to provide everyone with emergency accommodation and support.”