Labour has pledged to put an end to homeless people having to sleep rough on the streets and park benches. In a new commitment today, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey MP announced Labour will effectively end rough sleeping within its first term in government by removing the need for anyone to sleep on the streets. He has written to the Prime Minister to ask her to back Labour’s plans.

As a first plank of a new national rough sleeping strategy, a Labour government would double the number of homes ‘ring-fenced’ for people who have slept on the streets, renewing a housing scheme started by Conservative Peer and former Housing Minister Sir George Young for London in 1991.

The Clearing House scheme run by homelessness charity St Mungo’s on behalf of the Greater London Authority provides 3750 flats in more than 40 housing associations across London for people who have a history of rough sleeping.

Under Labour’s plan, 4,000 permanent new reserved flats or houses would be created, and the scheme extended beyond the capital. Labour is challenging the government to implement the proposal by striking an agreement with housing associations to make the accommodation available now, and provide funding for replacements. 

In addition to setting up new ‘clearing house’ schemes in cities like Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester, Mr Healey also wants to see Ministers backing charities to expand street outreach teams for people sleeping rough.

The new homes would be let at genuinely affordable social rents, and in order to access this accommodation, recipients would have to be British nationals or otherwise eligible for social housing.

Since a change in the law in 2011, homeless people are increasingly housed in insecure private rented homes, making it more likely that they will end up back on the streets.

The announcement comes after recent reports of rough sleepers dying on the streets of Birmingham and Manchester as a result of cold weather.

The number of rough sleepers in England fell dramatically over Labour’s time in government due to a series of government initiatives, and there were only 464 rough sleepers recorded in 2009.

Since 2010 the number of rough sleepers has doubled – with 3,569 people recorded in 2015 under a new annual measure introduced in 2010.

While charities say these statistics do not come close to providing a comprehensive measure of the number of people sleeping rough, which is likely to be much higher than official figures, they do confirm the rapidly rising level of need.

Commenting, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, John Healey MP said:

“Homelessness is not inevitable in a country as decent and well off as ours. This problem can be solved, but it demands a new national will to do so. The rapidly rising number of people sleeping in doorways and on park benches shames us all. There can be no excuses – it must end. Full stop.

“This growing homelessness should shame the government most of all. The spiralling rise in street homelessness results directly from decisions made by Ministers since 2010 on housing, and on funding for charities and councils.

“Under the last Labour government, years of sustained action brought rough sleeping right down, but it has doubled since 2010.

“A Labour government would put a stop to this national shame and provide homeless people with a place to call home and rebuild their lives.”