Labour calls on Government to commit that no one will spend this winter on streets

Labour is calling on the Government to commit that no one will spend this winter on the streets, as fears mount there will be thousands fewer beds available.

With many night shelters closed because of Covid restrictions, the party is today launching a campaign to ensure everyone has a safe, Covid-secure place to stay this winter.

Research by charity HomelessLink found one third of homeless organisations and local authorities expect to see a decrease in capacity this winter.

Other frontline charities have told Labour that rough sleepers are facing their worst winter yet. Testimony from organisations offering emergency beds – usually in church halls, community centres and similar buildings – includes:

• In one case, less than one third of the night shelter beds on offer last year will be available this winter, meaning around 6,500 rough sleepers risk being turned away
• Charities are struggling with less than half the usual number of volunteers this year, reducing the help they can offer rough sleepers

• Concerns that the Government’s threats to deport some foreign nationals who are sleeping rough could make it harder to help people who need support, as they will be less likely to seek or accept assistance

Before the pandemic, rough sleeping had already doubled over the 10 years of Conservative governments.

While many rough sleepers were given emergency accommodation during the spring lockdown, recent data suggests that more people are again sleeping on the streets. The number of new rough sleepers between April and June in London was up almost 80% on the previous year.

Thangam Debbonaire MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, said:

“Even before the crisis, rough sleeping was a shameful sign of government failure.

“This winter, without the last resort of night shelters, rough sleeping is more desperate than ever.

“The Government promised to end rough sleeping for good – it must ensure everyone has a safe, Covid-secure place to stay this winter.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

• This winter, Labour is calling on the Government to make sure everyone has a safe, Covid-secure place to stay this winter.

• The charity HomelessLink found 1/3 of providers expected a decrease in capacity this winter: https://www.homeless.org.uk/sites/default/files/site-attachments/SWEP%20and%20Covid-19%20planning%20report.pdf
• The latest CHAIN figures recorded 3,444 people sleeping rough in Greater London between July and September 2020, of which 1,901 were sleeping rough for the first time.

We came into this crisis with more than twice as many rough sleepers as 2010

Total number of people sleeping rough:

Rough Sleeping has got worse in every region across the country

Source: Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Rough sleeping 2019, England’

Local authority level data: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/682006/Tables_1_and_2a_2b_2c_-_revised.xlsx

Rough sleeping has gone up in rural as well as urban areas

House of Commons Library analysis of MHCLG’s annual rough sleeper count combined with an update to the 2011 rural/urban classification for local authorities

With the first everyone in, the Government had a chance to end rough sleeping for good, but it seems that those gains have been lost

Rough sleeping data from London shows a more detailed picture for the course of the pandemic.

Whilst the number of rough sleepers has dropped over the first lockdown, sleeping on London’s streets on any given night in the second quarter of this year.

Source: Rough sleeping in London CHAIN reports https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports