Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about action to tackle rough sleeping.

Homelessness and rough seeping are not inevitable in a country as decent and well-off as ours. Yet the number of households assessed as homeless is rising and the number of people sleeping rough is up by 52% since 2010.

Before the pandemic, people sleeping rough on our streets was a visible sign – a shameful sign. I am concerned that the rise in the number of people sleeping rough is a direct result of a decade of failure on housing which has seen a steep drop in investment for new affordable homes; unfair caps on housing benefit; soaring rents in the private rented sector; and reductions in funding for local homelessness services.

I pay tribute to the work of local government and housing charities who played a vital role in the national effort to help thousands of people off the streets as part of the ‘Everybody In’ programme. I agree that the emergency measures introduced over the course of the pandemic demonstrate that we can end rough sleeping for good.

But I am concerned that the Government has started to roll back the support of the ‘Everyone In’ initiative. The homelessness charity Shelter estimates that one in four people helped under ‘Everyone In’ are no longer being accommodated and over three-quarters – almost 30,000 people - are not living in settled accommodation.

Meanwhile, the Local Housing Allowance freeze and the end of the eviction ban mean that many more people risk being pushed on to the streets. The Government must keep its promise that no renter will lose their home because of the pandemic.

Ministers should bring forward a sustainable solution to end rough sleeping for good. Additional funding to provide new supported homes to vulnerable rough sleepers is welcome. However, councils have said a lack of affordable housing is the biggest challenge facing local authorities in fulfilling their duty to try and prevent homelessness.  I believe councils and housing associations should be backed with new funding, powers and flexibilities to ensure they can invest in new social housing.

Ahead of the Spending Review in October, I urge the Government to outline its plans to tackle housing inequality and end rough sleeping for good.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP