Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Bill gives councils legal duty to stop homelessness

April 28 2017
Charities urge all parties to pledge to stop rough sleeping in the election amnifestos

Councils across England and Wales will have a legal duty to help homeless people find accommodation, according to a new bill.

The Homelessness Reduction Bill, proposed by Bob Blackman MP, became an Act of Parliament after it was granted Royal Assent on Thursday.

The Act will mean local authorities have a legal duty to give people meaningful support to resolve their homelessness. It will also introduce measures to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place.

The news was welcomed by a coalition of charities including Centrepoint, Crisis, Homeless Link, Shelter and St Mungo’s. The campaigning groups are calling on all political parties to pledge to stop the scandal of rough sleeping in their General Election manifestos.

Rough sleeping in England has risen by 16 percent in the last year and has more than doubled in the last five.

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis said: “For 40 years we’ve had a system that fails too many homeless people by turning them away from help when they need it most. We’d like to thank the peers and MPs from across the political spectrum who came together to back this bill, as well as Government ministers for their leadership.”

But he stressed the act was not a “cure-all” and called for action from all political parties to address the rise in rough sleeping.

“The success of the Homelessness Reduction Act shows what can be achieved when the political will exists to tackle the root causes of homelessness,” he added. “Whoever wins the general election must make ending rough sleeping a top priority once they are elected.”

Claire McMenemy, a St Mungo's client who slept rough for several decades, said ending rough sleeping should be a top priority.

“I slept rough for over thirty years after running away from home and I know the dangers that people face and how you can get stuck on the streets,” she said.

“My mental health suffered a lot and I believe more needs to be done to help people like me who end up sleeping rough. For a long time I felt very alone and since having some proper therapy I am in my own flat thanks to St Mungo’s.”

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