Homelessness – Parliamentary Written Answer

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homeless people were (a) men and (b) women in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: In April to June 2016, of 15,170 households accepted as homeless in England, 8,410 were female one person or lone parent households, 2,410 were male one person or lone parent households, and the remaining 4,350 were couples or other household types. Of the 73,120 households in temporary accommodation in England at 30 June 2016, 38,220 were female one person or lone parent households, 10,050 were male one person or lone parent households, and the remaining 24,850 were couples or other household types. CHAIN data for London shows that during 2015/16, 15% of people seen sleeping rough were female. 

Crisis Responds To Rough Sleeping Statistics

Crisis has called for urgent action after figures revealed that, despite signs of economic recovery, the number of people sleeping rough in London has risen again. The figures, released by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), show that 2,029 people were sleeping on the streets of London during the first quarter of 2014, an eight per cent increase on the same period last year. This comes on the back of three years of rises in rough sleeping representing a 75% increase. Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: “It is nothing short of a disgrace that, in one of the world’s most prosperous cities, so many Londoners continue to be left out in the cold.” Read more on the Crisis website.

Number of Rough Sleepers in London Leaps 26%

The total number of rough sleepers in the capital went up 26 per cent in the last two months from the same period the year before, according to government-endorsed figures. Homelessness charity Broadway’s CHAIN bi-monthly report shows 1,920 people were sleeping rough in London in September and October this year.  The number of new rough sleepers in London went up 31 per cent in the same period compared with September and October 2011. The proportion of people staying on the streets for a second night went down, with 725 (80 per cent) spending one night on the streets this year in the two months and 507 (74 per cent) spending one night on the streets in the period last year. Read more on Inside Housing.

Homelessness: Veterans – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to prevent homelessness among veterans.

Grant Shapps: This Government are committed to preventing and tackling homelessness and protecting the most vulnerable, including among veterans. The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness will shortly publish its second report on preventing homelessness which will include veterans. The latest figures from CHAIN highlight that only 4% of rough sleepers from the UK have experience of the armed forces.  I am determined to ensure that current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country. I have therefore introduced measures to place members of the armed forces at the top of the priority list for home ownership schemes, including FirstBuy and instructing special agents to visit military bases to promote such schemes. We are also working with credit reference agencies and Royal Mail to standardise forces' post office addresses so personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for mortgages.  We have also recently finished consulting on proposals to change the law to make it easier for service personnel to access social housing so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists, and that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights. Under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 priority need is granted to a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member of Her Majesty's regular naval, military or air forces.

Response edited, read the full answer in Hansard by clicking on the link below.

Number of New Rough Sleepers on London’s Streets Soars

New figures show a 43% increase in the number of people sleeping rough last year on London's streets.  The figures released from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) present information on those seen sleeping rough by outreach workers on the streets of London from April 2011 to March 2012:

    *5,678 people were seen rough sleeping in 2011-12 - a 43% increase compared to 2010-11

    *3,825 people were new rough sleepers, a 62% increase compared to 2010-11

    *2408 people were seen sleeping rough more than once - 18% increase on previous year

    *Of these figures there was a 45% increase in the number of British nationals who slept rough

Download the report from the CHAIN website.