Rough sleeping crisis 'the tip of the iceberg', Starmer warns
Sir Keir Starmer has warned that a rough sleeping crisis this Christmas is "just the tip of an iceberg" of poverty and destitution.
Speaking during a virtual visit to the West Midlands, the Labour leader called on the Government to tackle the looming crisis in rough sleeping by ensuring there was enough access to Covid-secure winter shelter.
And he said the crisis was the "sharp end of a broken housing system" that would see many more people out on the streets this winter.
It comes after new figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that 778 people died homeless in 2019 – the highest number since 2013.
Sir Keir spoke with homelessness projects in Worcester and food poverty campaigners in Birmingham.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he wrote: "Thousands of rough sleepers risk missing out on life-saving shelter this winter unless the Government supports councils and charities to provide Covid-secure shelter."
Sir Keir added: "Rough sleeping is a crisis which you pledged to end for good. But it is just the tip of an iceberg – the sharp end of a broken housing system and a society with gaping holes in its safety net.
"Many more people, many of them families with children, will experience homelessness, poverty and destitution this winter."
Earlier this year Boris Johnson described the crisis as "totally unacceptable" and vowed to drive down the number of rough sleepers on Britain's streets.
He pledged £437 million to deal with homelessness in 2020-21, along with an extra £236m to focus on getting rough sleepers into accommodation.
An initial £23m has been earmarked to support those with drug and alcohol issues.
Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Kelly Tolhurst, said the Government was working hard "to break the cycle of rough sleeping for good".
Figures from February showed there were 115 people sleeping rough across the West Midlands, a drop of almost a third on the previous year.
Local authorities across the region have launched a winter plan to help keep rough sleepers safe.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, said: "We must maintain our efforts to protect those at risk of having to sleep rough, so that everyone can have a safe, secure and warm place to live.
"And as we work to ensure our region recovers from the economic impacts of the pandemic, we must make every effort to ensure no-one is left behind."
