Responding to figures released by the Office for National
Statistics showing the number of deaths of homeless people in
England and Wales registered in 2019, Cllr David Renard, Local
Government Association housing spokesperson, said:
“These tragic figures are made worse by the fact that many
of these deaths are likely to have been preventable.
“Efforts to get people sleeping rough off the streets and
stop people from becoming homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic,
has shown that it is possible to make a significant difference to
the numbers of people forced to sleep on the streets.
“But we need to strive to make this the new normal and not
just an emergency response at a time of crisis.
“It is good the Government recognised the need to fund
homelessness services in the Spending Review. However in the
longer-term, it is vital that there is a renewed focus on
investing in homelessness prevention services, alongside giving
councils the powers to build the social housing the country needs
and ensuring that the local safety net is adequately
resourced.
“The fact that over a third of deaths were related to drug
poisoning deepens our concern about no new public health funding
announced in the recent Spending Review for next year. This is a
false economy that will only compound pressures on acute
services.”
