'People don't look out for each other anymore': Homelessness 'a national crisis’
Homelessness in England is a "national crisis" and the Government's approach to tackling the problem has been an "abject failure", according to a damning report.
More than 9,000 people are sleeping rough on the streets and over 78,000 households, including 120,000 children, are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, often of a poor standard, said the Public Accounts Committee.
In Shrewsbury there are six recognised rough sleepers who bed down each night in doorways and corners of the town.
Shrewsbury Ark, the town's homeless centre, which offers hot food and showers, deals with the homeless and 'sofa surfers' on a daily basis.
Tim Compton from Shrewsbury Ark said that while members of the public may think there is a bigger homeless problem in the town, the actual figures are relatively low. However, once 'sofa surfers' are taken in to account the figure rises.
He said: "There are about half a dozen people who sleep rough each night in Shrewsbury but there are more who sit begging in doorways during the day. They can find themselves in this situation for a number of reasons such as family breakdown and the lack of community that exists nowadays.
"People don't look out for each other anymore. We can help them if they chose to be helped but otherwise it is very difficult for us to intervene."
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The national report said the Department for Communities and Local Government's attitude to reducing homelessness has been "unacceptably complacent", with limited action that has lacked urgency.
The Government's commitment to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027 will only address the "tip of the iceberg", said the MPs, adding that there was an "unacceptable shortage" of realistic housing options for the homeless or those at risk of homelessness.
The homelessness crisis has been growing for years, with the number of people sleeping rough increasing by 134 per cent since 2011, while there has been a 60 per cent rise in the number of households in temporary accommodation since 2010, said the report.
The MPs made a series of recommendations to the Government, including calls for a strategy by mid-June 2018 on how homelessness can be reduced.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has only just acknowledged that its "light touch" approach has not worked, said the report.
John Healey, shadow housing secretary, said: "This damning cross-party report shows that the Conservatives have caused the crisis of rapidly rising homelessness but have no plan to fix it."
Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue magazine, said: "The people we see sleeping rough and living on our streets represent the mere tip of the iceberg. The fact that the 'hidden homeless' aren't even included in the final figures show the extent of the problem."
Government statistics on homelessness are "wildly out of touch" because they ignore single homeless households and focus too heavily on rough sleepers, a charity said.
Figures uncovered by Justlife through a Freedom of Information request showed that 51,467 people are living "hidden and homeless" in short-term bed and breakfast accommodation across England.
A Government spokesman said: "Tackling homelessness is a complex issue with no single solution, but we are determined to help the most vulnerable in society."
