Oxfordshire Homeless Movement backs rough sleeping plans but calls for greater focus on prevention
Charity partnership responds to the Prime Minster's national drive to get homeless people off the streets for Christmas
A partnership of homeless charities in Oxfordshire has welcomed the Prime Minister's plan to offer everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets by Christmas, but says there must be an emphasis on tackling the root of the problem.
On Tuesday, the Government announced a £442 million package aimed at putting an end to rough sleeping across England.
The plans include immediate routes off the streets this winter, alongside practical support with housing, health and other needs.
More than 1,000 settled homes are also due to be delivered over the next three years, with areas facing the greatest pressures receiving the largest share of support.
Yvonne Pinner, Project Director of Oxfordshire Homeless Movement (OHM), said: "There's nothing essentially negative about what's been said, only positive news.
"I feel like this is the largest focus we've had on rough sleeping and homelessness, so it feels a little bit like a sea shift."
Oxfordshire's experience during COVID
The announcement echoes the 'Everyone In' initiative introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Pinner says the scheme "worked amazingly well" in the county, with homelessness organisations coming together to get people into accommodation.
But she says there were important differences between the pandemic and the situation facing people sleeping rough today.
"It did happen at a time when all the hotels were empty, there was lots of free accommodation available because COVID had hit, therefore it was going to be much easier to find accommodation," she said.
"The other thing is that everybody was frightened during COVID, including people who were out there and left to their own devices. So I think perhaps people who hadn't come in before, did come in. This isn't the same as that."
She says there are therefore questions about how the new offer will work for people who may be reluctant or unable to accept the accommodation available to them.
'It's a cycle that needs to be broken'
While the Government's immediate focus is on people currently sleeping rough, Ms Pinner says homelessness organisations want to see more attention paid to stop people reaching the streets in the first place.
"Ultimately, rough sleeping is one instance of homelessness. But actually, there are lots of forms of homelessness which happen possibly before somebody is on the streets," she said.
"If you can take prevention further upstream, so you're stopping people getting to the absolute crisis point, then that's going to be better for everybody.
"You'd no longer be almost like sweeping people up when they're at their most desperate, but stopping them from falling into that desperate point."
Local charities 'will do their absolute best'
Ms Pinner says OHM's model means organisations across Oxfordshire are already used to collaborating.
"We've got our partnership and as part of that, we all work closely with the local authorities because they have the statutory funding and that's where lots of the decisions are made," she said.
She says those relationships will be important if the Government wants the Christmas target to succeed.
Ms Pinner added that the county's charities are ready to respond, but need more information about exactly how the Government's plans will be delivered.
"There will be no problem with our partners collectively doing our absolute best to make sure that people are swept up and brought into accommodation. We just need to know what that actually looks like," she said.