This video from England says about itself:
6 March 2016
Around 3,600 people sleep on the street each night in the UK; up more than 100% since 2010. This is a short documentary from the streets of Bristol, chatting to rough sleepers and getting their side of the story.
With thanks to Rob, George, Steven, Mark and the Cardiff boys.
By Felicity Collier in Britain:
Tories ‘must take on rough sleeping‘
Thursday 26th January 2017
Number of people on streets has doubled
TORY ministers were urged to end the “national scandal” of rough sleeping yesterday after official stats showed the number of people spending a night on the streets has more than doubled since 2010.
On a single night last autumn, there were 4,134 rough sleepers, a Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) report revealed — up from 3,569 the year before.
This is a 90 per cent increase on five years ago when the number of rough sleepers was 2,181 and more than double the 2010 figure estimated at 1,768.
Shadow housing secretary John Healey blamed government policies for the “national scandal.”
And research from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network — linked to the St Mungo’s charity — showed that 65 per cent of rough sleepers in 2015-16 were new.
Charity Crisis said an “ambitious new approach” to tackling homelessness is needed, with charities, local authorities and central government acting together.
“There is no time to waste,” Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said. “We need the government to take action on this issue.”
The number-one cause of homelessness in Britain is the ending of a private-sector short-hold tenancy, a government report last December showed.
Mr Sparkes said: “Behind these statistics are thousands of desperate people, sleeping in doorways, bin shelters, stations and parks — anywhere they can find to stay safe and escape the elements.”
The charity reminded local authorities that they have a duty to provide emergency interim accommodation for anyone who would otherwise be forced to sleep rough or face the threat of violence.
Shelter interim chief executive Graeme Brown said lack of affordable homes coupled with cuts to welfare “have led us to this tragic situation.”
He warned: “Until the government provides more homes that people on low incomes can actually afford to live in, the problem will only get worse.”
Thursday, 26 January 2017
APPALLING ROUGH SLEEPING RISE SAYS CRISIS
ROUGH sleeping is rising at ‘an appalling rate,’ said the homelessness charity Crisis yesterday, as it emerged that more than 4,000 people a night have been sleeping rough on England’s streets this year – a 16% increase on last year.
As freezing conditions continued to grip the country, figures issued yesterday by the Department for Communities and Local Government showed that more than half of local councils in England recorded a rise in the numbers rough sleeping compared with the year before.
Outside of London, the number of people on the streets rose by a massive 20%, whereas in the capital it was 3%. Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said yesterday: ‘Behind these statistics are thousands of desperate people, sleeping in doorways, bin shelters, stations and parks – anywhere they can find to stay safe and escape the elements.
‘Rough sleeping ruins lives, leaving people vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on their mental and physical health. Our recent research has shown how rough sleepers are 17 times more likely to be victims of violence. ‘This is no way for anyone to live.’
Yesterday’s official figures showed that rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010, when 1,768 people were recorded. And for the first time they included details of gender, age and nationality of those seen on the streets. Separate statistics showed that more than 114,000 households in England turned to councils for help in 2015-16 because they were losing their home.
Research by St Mungo’s, the homelessness charity, found that four in 10 rough sleepers had mental health problems, while 41% needed help with alcohol dependency and 31% needed help with drug abuse.
Sparkes added: ‘There is no time to waste. We need the government to take action on this issue, and we stand ready to work with officials to plan and deliver an ambitious new approach.’
http://wrp.org.uk/news/12915
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