Tuesday 13 Nov 2007 @ 16:22
Homeless Link
Homeless Link
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Homeless Link calls for action on rough sleeping
Grant Shapps, Shadow Housing Minister, released his report “Roughly Sleeping” today disputing the national street count figure.
Jenny Edwards, CEO of Homeless Link, the national umbrella organisation for frontline homelessness agencies in the UK, said:
“It is good to see a renewed focus on rough sleeping as we approach the 10th anniversary of the government setting the aim of getting rough sleeping as close to zero as possible. The time is ripe to move on from debates about street count statistics to look at ending the evil of street homelessness for good.
Fantastic progress has been achieved by strong active partnership between homelessness charities and government. No one claims that street counts represent a full and accurate picture of the scale of the issue in every part of the country, however they have been applied consistently over a 10 year period. Other countries that have seen a escalating scale of rough sleeping, such as France, are seeking information so they can learn from our model of what works.
Now it is time to take a fresh look at rough sleeping, to introduce new approaches both for areas with higher numbers and for areas with a lesser problem. We call on the leaders of all political parties and all local authorities to produce plans to show how they will end rough sleeping and set an example for the world to follow."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Homeless Link is the national membership organisation for frontline homelessness agencies in England and Wales. Our mission is to be a catalyst that will help to bring an end to homelessness. Our two goals are to:
o Raise standards in the services that support homeless people and tackle homelessness
o Influence the development of policy, strategy and investment at all levels of government.
2. Jenny Edwards will be speaking to a conference of officials and charities in Paris on 30th November about successful approaches to tackling rough sleeping
3. Homeless Links Action Plan to End Homelessness, launched one year ago with support from the front bench housing leads for Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats, calls for an end to rough sleeping by 2012. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, has backed this aim in his Draft Housing Strategy.
4. Homeless Link's work to create "Places of Change", backed by the Government's Hostel Capital Improvement Programme, is bringing a wide range of services into hostels and day centres to ensure that former rough sleepers receive the services and support they need to make their journey out of homelessness and into independence. http://www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/moving/places/dvd/
Further information
If you would like more information on Homeless Link, to speak with a policy expert or details of case studies where front line homelessness organisations have worked jointly with other agencies to practically support the achievement of the Government’s target, please contact:
Gill Perkins, Head of Communications at Homeless Link on 020 7960 3025 or 07881 921476 gill.perkins@homelesslink.org.uk
Homeless Link
First Floor
10-13 Rushworth Street
London
SE1 0RB
www.homeless.org.uk
Jenny Edwards, CEO of Homeless Link, the national umbrella organisation for frontline homelessness agencies in the UK, said:
“It is good to see a renewed focus on rough sleeping as we approach the 10th anniversary of the government setting the aim of getting rough sleeping as close to zero as possible. The time is ripe to move on from debates about street count statistics to look at ending the evil of street homelessness for good.
Fantastic progress has been achieved by strong active partnership between homelessness charities and government. No one claims that street counts represent a full and accurate picture of the scale of the issue in every part of the country, however they have been applied consistently over a 10 year period. Other countries that have seen a escalating scale of rough sleeping, such as France, are seeking information so they can learn from our model of what works.
Now it is time to take a fresh look at rough sleeping, to introduce new approaches both for areas with higher numbers and for areas with a lesser problem. We call on the leaders of all political parties and all local authorities to produce plans to show how they will end rough sleeping and set an example for the world to follow."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Homeless Link is the national membership organisation for frontline homelessness agencies in England and Wales. Our mission is to be a catalyst that will help to bring an end to homelessness. Our two goals are to:
o Raise standards in the services that support homeless people and tackle homelessness
o Influence the development of policy, strategy and investment at all levels of government.
2. Jenny Edwards will be speaking to a conference of officials and charities in Paris on 30th November about successful approaches to tackling rough sleeping
3. Homeless Links Action Plan to End Homelessness, launched one year ago with support from the front bench housing leads for Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats, calls for an end to rough sleeping by 2012. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, has backed this aim in his Draft Housing Strategy.
4. Homeless Link's work to create "Places of Change", backed by the Government's Hostel Capital Improvement Programme, is bringing a wide range of services into hostels and day centres to ensure that former rough sleepers receive the services and support they need to make their journey out of homelessness and into independence. http://www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/moving/places/dvd/
Further information
If you would like more information on Homeless Link, to speak with a policy expert or details of case studies where front line homelessness organisations have worked jointly with other agencies to practically support the achievement of the Government’s target, please contact:
Gill Perkins, Head of Communications at Homeless Link on 020 7960 3025 or 07881 921476 gill.perkins@homelesslink.org.uk
Homeless Link
First Floor
10-13 Rushworth Street
London
SE1 0RB
www.homeless.org.uk
www.endhomelessness.org
