Charity welcomes ambitious targets to end rough sleeping
Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to end rough sleeping by Christmas this year
A rough sleeper charity says ambitious targets are the way to go, if the UK is to end homelessness.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping across the nation by Christmas this year, with Wiltshire-based charity Alabaré welcoming his ambition.
Almost 5,000 people across England were found rough sleeping on a single night in Autumn last year, in the Government's rough sleeping snapshot, with the crisis only deepening. In the South West, the figure was over 500.
The organisation says recent history shows it's possible to get everyone off the streets.
"We've seen it before in the Everyone In programme through the Covid pandemic," said Alex Cattelona, the charity's Head of Homelessness. "If you look back to what happened then, it really showed us what can happen when we have local authorities, charities, communities all working together around that common goal. We have proved that we can move quickly."
Further recent evidence comes from last winter, where 19 people were afforded emergency accommodation when Severe Weather Emergency Protocol's (SWEP) were activated in Wiltshire. Some of those people moved into supported accommodation provided by Alabaré, while others found safety through other housing pathways offered by local authorities.
"What that tells us is that emergency accommodation does work, but it is only the first step, and we've learned that people need more than bed for the night," Alex said.
He told us that people often need help for trauma, poor mental health, or addiction, and said that the primary aim is create "psychological safety" for people, allowing them to engage with support services and bring stability to their lives.
Decades of experience ready to be used
Alex believes its about opening doors for people, and that everyone has a part to play, with members of the community able to report a rough sleeper via the StreetLink website, which can help them be connected with the support they need.
Alabaré believes it is well equipped to step up and play its role in ending homelessness, leaning on over three decades of experience.
But Alex said it's not something that can be achieved alone, calling for a united front.
"We do expect demands to increase over the coming months and we do expect that every bed that is available will be needed. What we do need is that continued partnership and investment. So we know that not a single organisation can end rough sleeping alone. It does require housing providers, councils, health services, charities, businesses groups and all community groups all pulling in the same direction."
And people sleeping rough on the street is just the tip of the iceberg, he warned, telling us that hundreds of people experience hidden homelessness by sofa surfing with friends and family or sleeping in their cars.
Alex said that they want to ensure everyone who needs help can get it, build their psychological safety, and find stability in the future: "If the government's ambition is to get everyone in for Christmas, I'd like to think that our ambition is to make sure that people have the support they need to stay housed well beyond Christmas too."