WEST Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has backed a £100million Government bid to tackle rough sleeping across the UK.
Based on a three-pronged approach of prevention, intervention and recovery, the Government’s new strategy focuses on efforts to stop people becoming homeless in the first place, with swift, targeted support to get those in crisis off the streets and into long-term housing.
The strategy includes £50million for homes outside London for people ready to move on from hostels or refuges and £30 million for mental health support for rough sleepers.
A new network of specialist “navigators” will help rough sleepers access services and accommodation.
Mr Campion said: “Homelessness should not be acceptable in a modern society. I welcome the national investment which is taking a holistic approach around the wider complex drivers to homelessness, such as mental health and addictions.
“Homelessness is primarily an issue for local authorities. However some of the wider issues associated to homelessness can be linked to crime and anti-social behaviour and I will continue my work to tackle those issues, with the investments I’ve made at a local level helping those genuinely in need.”
Around 4,751 people are estimated to sleep rough on any given night in England.
In a joint statement, seven homelessness charities who advised on the strategy said it would ‘make a real difference to people’s lives’.
However Crisis, Homeless Link, National Housing Federation, Shelter, St Basil’s, St Mungo’s and Thames Reach warned: “For the strategy to work, the Government must also set out bold, cross-departmental plans to tackle the root causes of all forms of homelessness and prevent it from happening in the first place.
“This must include plans to build significantly more social housing, to foster greater security for renters, to ensure people have access to benefits and other support they need to help them keep their home.”
