Stephen Morgan, the MP for Portsmouth South, is backing Labour’s radical new national offer of emergency shelter for every rough sleeper during cold weather.
The Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healey MP said it “beggars belief” that in twenty-first century Britain there are parts of the country in which there is little or no shelter for those sleeping on the streets during extreme cold weather, and that the Government doesn’t even know which areas have this provision.
Figures collected by the Government reveal that in the South East alone, 1,119 people slept rough on the street on one night last year, up 261% since 2010.
Since October last year, an estimated 484 people have died homeless, including during the ‘beast from the east’ cold spell between February and March last year. Last winter one in four severe weather services had to turn rough sleepers away.
Under Labour’s plans, funding will be provided for emergency accommodation in every area, for every rough sleeper whenever local temperatures are set to fall below freezing.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“It is appalling that in 2018 we have such a large number of people sleeping rough in Portsmouth and across the country.
Under this Government far too many people have been left without a home, or even a safe place to spend the night. Housebuilding recently fell to its lowest rate since the 1920s and these figures show that homelessness continues to rise at alarming rates.
There’s some good work already going on in Portsmouth to tackle this issue head on, and Labour’s plan with much-needed funding will help finally bring an end to rough sleeping in our society.”
Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healey MP said:
“To our national shame, thousands of people will sleep rough on park benches and shop doorways this winter. It beggars belief that there is no guarantee of basic emergency accommodation for these people during cold weather.
“Rough sleeping has risen every years since 2010 as a direct result of decisions made by Conservative Ministers, and the problem is getting worse.
“Labour’s plan will save lives and needs to be put in place now.
“Labour will give every rough sleeper a roof over their head, and tackle the root causes of rising homelessness with an end to the freeze on benefits, new rights for renters and a million low-cost homes.”
The new national offer will be funded through a new Rough Sleepers Cold Weather Fund, set at £100m in the first year, and paid for by a previously announced second homes levy.
As well as extra emergency shelter, this will also fund keyworkers to link rough sleepers with health and housing support to keep them off the streets for good, given that cold weather enables contact with rough sleepers that are otherwise hard to reach.
The announcement forms part of the Labour Party’s plan to end rough sleeping within the first term of the next Labour Government.
