Government ‘tells councils to house all rough sleepers by the weekend’

“We are all redoubling our efforts to do what we possibly can at this stage to ensure that everybody is inside and safe by this weekend, and we stand with you in this.

“These are unusual times so I’m asking for an unusual effort. Many areas of the country have already been able to ‘safe harbour’ their people, which is incredible.

“What we need to do now, though, is work out how we can get ‘everyone in’.”

A letter from homelessness minister Luke Hall to council leaders set out the actions government expects them to take as part of the new strategy.

The latest official single-night snapshot figures – which are widely thought to be an underestimated – indicate there are 4,266 rough sleepers in England.

Ministers had previously pledged to end rough sleeping by 2025.

Concerns have been raised about the heightened coronavirus risk to homeless people who do not have a safe place to isolate, including those in densely packed shelters and hostels.

Dame Louise’s letter said communal night shelters and street encampments “are high risk for spreading coronavirus” and must close “for the time being”.

The government had previously said that night shelters could stay open.

MHCLG officials are contacting councils to ask how many individuals still need shelter and how councils can be supported.

A spokesperson for MHCLG said: “We are working intensively with councils and the sector to get everyone who is sleeping rough off the streets and into appropriate accommodation – backed by £1.6 billion of additional funding for councils to respond to pressures during this national emergency.

“This is a huge joint effort and we all need to come together – including councils, charities, health and care services, and accommodation providers – to protect rough sleepers from the virus and ensure councils have the support and crucially the accommodation they need to make this happen.”

James Jamieson, chair of the Local Government Association and leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “This will be a huge task given the shortage of accommodation available with many councils now affected by the recent closures of hotels and the difficulties some have faced where rough sleepers refuse to engage or take up the offer of help.

“To help these efforts, some councils will need to call on the government for urgent help to find accommodation and enforce this and have access to funding if they need to cover staffing and support costs.”

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “The government’s insistence that everyone sleeping rough should be housed by the weekend is a landmark moment – and the right thing to do.

“Questions remain about how local councils will be supported to do this and whether additional funding, or assistance securing hotel rooms, will be made available.

“We also need to see a package of support so that, when the outbreak subsides, the outcome is not that people return to the streets.

“The government has committed to ending rough sleeping by 2025 – this proves it can be done in 2020 if we make it the priority it deserves to be.”

Update: at 14.08pm 27/03/20 more information and a comment from MHCLG was added to the story.