Cable: Surge in rough sleeping shows more funding needed to prevent homelessness

Rough sleeping in England rose by 15% in the year to autumn 2017, according to new government figures.

Responding, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said:

“A 15% rise in rough sleeping is shameful and shows the Conservatives have failed to take real action to tackle the housing crisis.

“The number of rough sleepers is hard to record and so these figures are likely to be an understatement of the full extent of the crisis.

“Until the Government commits to the funding needed to prevent homelessness and builds more genuinely affordable homes, and invests properly in mental health care, the number of rough sleepers will continue to rise at a shocking pace.

“This is why I’m putting tackling rough sleeping, and the wider issue of
homelessness, at the heart of my leadership of the Liberal Democrats.”