Homelessness Highlighted In The Press This Week

The Liverpool Echo is running a series of articles on homelessness this week, starting with the plight of rough sleepers.

The Echo report states that research shows rough sleeping has almost doubled across Liverpool in the last year. It goes on to say that many people walking through the city centre will have noticed the growing number of people sleeping rough and begging on our streets. But this year’s rough sleeper count reveals the number of people out in the cold is at its highest level in six years, when the government’s current records began.

The snapshot figures reveal 15 people slept rough on one night in Liverpool late last year – up from eight in 2014 and just three in 2010. But opinions are split on why numbers are rising, with increasingly insecure employment, welfare reforms, domestic violence and cuts to local services highlighted by different organisations.

Dave Flack, development manager at the Basement charity, said: “We have seen a rise in the last 12 to 15 months, when it had been fairly static for a while. But there are strict rules about how you count people – they have to be bedded down. Many rough sleepers sleep in the day as they don’t feel safe at night – some have been attacked – so we can’t count them.”

“It’s difficult to explain the rise – every person has a unique reason, from relationship breakdown to mental health problems or substance abuse. Funding has been squeezed for services like homelessness by the government. We’ve also seen people who received benefit sanctions, but it’s not as huge a factor as we thought it would be.”

Frank Hont, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for housing, agreed the snapshot count did not reflect the true extent of rough sleeping. He said: “We have noticed a rise in rough sleepers but it’s difficult to know what it’s down to. It could be welfare reforms, the changing nature of employment, the economic crisis people find themselves in.”

“But it’s not a significant rise – it’s not anywhere near the rise in places like Birmingham, Manchester or Bristol.” He said the council prevented over 1,800 people becoming homeless last year, almost double the number in 2010.

Charlotte Mansbridge, services manager at the Whitechapel Centre, said: “There’s definitely a rise in rough sleeping within the city centre. We believe it’s influenced by many different factors – it may be current welfare reforms, relationship breakdown, a person’s ability to stay in tenancies, complex needs, mental health support and other issues like substance misuse and alcohol dependency.”

The series continues in The Echo throughout the week.