£100m drive to end rough sleeping in England by 2027
Rough sleeping seems massively more prevalent than a decade ago. I have my suspicions as to why. It is a feature of many rural service towns. I am going to watch the unrolling of this legislative programme with interest. I am also going to watch it with the background thought that radical reductions to social support might be the cause and that this “drive” might just be an attempt to treat the symptoms….
A £100m government drive will aim to end rough sleeping in England by 2027. The new strategy, being launched by James Brokenshire, the communities secretary, on Monday, will offer help with mental health and addictions, as well as targeted support to get rough sleepers off the streets and into long-term accommodation.
Brokenshire acknowledged that efforts to tackle homelessness had “not been good enough” and said he wanted to see quick progress in reducing the estimated 4,751 people sleeping rough on any given night in England.
He told the Sunday Times the growing number of people sleeping on the streets was not consistent with “the type of country, the type of society that I profoundly believe we are”.
Brokenshire said: “To see that number of people on the streets isn’t good enough. We need to make progress quickly with the new strategy.
“We shouldn’t punish people for being homeless. This strategy is about how we can support people, how we can direct, and yes, sometimes challenge, some of those who are living rough to get into those services that will help make a difference.”
The new strategy will take a three-pronged approach of prevention, intervention and recovery. About £30m will be spent on mental health and treatment for the misuse of substances, including the synthetic cannabinoid spice.