Crisis: 43% rough sleeping increase ‘a scandal’

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities

Homeless charity Crisis has called today’s figures that show a 43% increase in the amount of people sleeping rough in London a "scandal".

London charity Broadway's figures show that the capital's rough sleeping numbers have risen to 5,678.

Crisis chief executive Leslie Morphy said: “This dramatic increase in the numbers of people sleeping rough on the streets of London last year must be a wake-up call - to the Mayor and central Government.
 
“Rough sleeping is traumatic for the individual and costly to society. These figures are only likely to get worse as the economic downturn and the Government’s cuts to welfare continue to hit home.
 
“It remains a scandal that in 21st Century England there is no basic right to shelter and single people can end up with nowhere to turn but the streets – it should not be like this.
 
“We need a change in the law to ensure that all people who are homeless get the advice and support they need from their local council.
 
“If London can deliver an Olympics on time and under budget we must surely be able to bring a similar drive, focus and commitment to tackling this most basic of issues – that of ensuring all of our citizens have a place to call home.”

Crisis is calling for Boris Johnson to honour his pledge to tackle homelessness in the capital.

It is also urging the Government to rethink its cuts to housing benefits which it claims are making more people homeless and making it harder to rehouse  those that become so.