Number of rough sleepers in Stafford falls

Councillor Jeremy Pert made welcomed the government statistics released last week that reveal there were five people sleeping rough in Stafford - compared with seven the previous year.

Nationally numbers of people sleeping on the streets of Britain have seen a nine percent reduction between 2018 and last year according to the latest figures revealed by the government.

The council's work has been highlighted in the House of Lords, attracted parliamentary visits to the county town, and the authority was the first in the Midlands to have achieved the government’s gold standard for preventing homelessness.

Councillor Jeremy Pert, cabinet member for communities, said: “One person sleeping rough is one too many. But the solution is not as simple as giving someone a house - there is nearly always a catalogue of other issues that will stop a person keeping a roof over their head - and it is these issues that this authority will continue to tackle along with our partner agencies.

“We are seen as one of the leading authorities in the country on tackling the issues of homelessness and rough sleeping and it is pleasing to see we have again improved on the national trend, but we know we can never rest on our laurels. We want to ensure that no one person needs to sleep out on the streets without a roof, if we can help it.”

For more advice on homelessness, and the help available, go to staffordbc.gov.uk/homelessness-i-have-or-will-have-nowhere-to-live