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Burnham: ‘we can end rough sleeping now’
Councils can end rough sleeping if they make it a top priority and share innovative practice, according to Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Burnham was speaking at the launch of a new homelessness network set up by the Labour Party, at the party’s annual conference in Brighton on Sunday.
It is partly inspired by Mr Burnham’s work in Greater Manchester to establish a homelessness action network bringing together charities, businesses and faith groups, with a goal of ending rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020.
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“We can end rough sleeping now if we put our minds to it,” Mr Burnham stated. “That is why the launch of this Labour homelessness network is so important. 2020 is too late. People are suffering every night.”
The network will share and promote best practice among network members and Labour councillors on strategies to end rough sleeping. It has also committed to feeding in information and ideas from people who have experienced homelessness and frontline workers. Party members, trade unionists, charity workers, local councillors and community activists are encouraged to join.
Shadow housing minister Melanie Onn said that work Mr Burnham and others had done in creating the Manchester network “has really brought forward the idea” that the party needs to share information “around the country”.
She said that the aim was “to make sure homelessness is a priority not just in Manchester but for everyone across the country”.
The network was launched following a performance by Cardboard Citizens of its critically acclaimed play, Cathy, launched last year 50 years after Ken Loach’s seminal film about homelessness, Cathy Come Home.
Cathy at 50 campaign
Our Cathy at 50 campaign calls on councils to explore Housing First as a default option for long-term rough sleepers and commission Housing First schemes, housing associations to identify additional stock for Housing First schemes and government to support five Housing First projects, collect evidence and distribute best practice.
