Tories will fail to meet manifesto target to end rough sleeping by 2024
The Tories will fail to meet their manifesto target to end rough sleeping by 2024, a damning report warns.
The conclusion from a panel of 36 experts across the health and housing sector comes after figures showed earlier this year the number of people sleeping rough in England increased dramatically. It was the first hike in almost half a decade. The verdict delivers a major blow to the Tories' 2019 election promise to "end the blight of rough sleeping" by the end of the Parliament.
The Kerslake Commission report published on Monday, says: "It is the conclusion of Kerslake Commission that the Government will not meet its goal to end rough sleeping by 2024. Rough sleeping is on the increase and at the heart of it are chronic and unresolved systemic issues, which have left the country vulnerable to new pressures".
The Commission, which was formed in 2021, said there was a 26% increase in rough sleeping in autumn 2022 - compared to the previous year. Earlier this year figures also showed the highest rates of people living in temporary accommodation since records began in 1998.
The Commission blamed a severe shortage of social rented housing and supported housing and said the lack of capacity must be prioritised. It also urged that homelessness and rough sleeping be treated as a priority within all Government departments "with all sectors working together in a trauma-informed way".
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Emma Haddad, the Chief Executive of homeless charity St Mungo's, said: "The dedication of people working throughout the homelessness sector shines through the report, but it sets out starkly that we are working against the tide. "The chronic shortage of affordable housing and appropriate support services means we are just responding to people already in crisis rather than preventing them from reaching that point in the first place."
The Kerslake Commission was established in 2021 to examine the lessons from the emergency 'Everyone In' pandemic campaign, which cut rough sleeping by 36%. It was led by Lord Bob Kerslake, a former head of the civil service, until he passed away in July. In a statement his family said last night he had been "saddened and dismayed by the rise of homelessness across our country".
They added: "He was proud to chair the commission and totally committed to its findings. He would have been vociferous in publishing its conclusions and recommendations. "His main focus would have been persuading those who have the power to make positive changes to read this report in depth, then work together to meet those recommendations.
"As his family, we firmly believe that this would be a fitting tribute to a great man who worked tirelessly for the betterment of others."
A spokeswoman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities said: "We remain focused on ending rough sleeping for good and are spending £2billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the areas that need it most. "We are making significant progress with over 640,000 households prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018. "We would like to pay tribute to Lord Bob Kerslake for his life's work on this issue and we will continue to work with the Commission to end rough sleeping for good".
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