The annual Homelessness in England report says the number of people sleeping rough in London boroughs has risen from 187 in 2022 to 333 this year – Politico.
It should be realised that the sleeping bags that sheltered homeless people outside the Westminster Underground station subway are mostly gone this year, but that does not mean homelessness has decreased dramatically at all.
The reason for this reduction near Westminster is significant: in 2019, a fence was erected behind which a parliamentary pass is required. Parliamentary authorities consequently now meet every quarter with civil servants, police, London Transport, Westminster Council and homelessness charity St Mungo’s to monitor and support those sleeping homeless right on their doorstep.
It is unacceptable that on the government’s own doorstep in Westminster, one in every 25 people will spend Christmas in a grotty hostel room or freezing in a doorway, said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter
Nevertheless, the situation has only improved near Westminster. Outside the immediate neighbourhood of Westminster, the problem of homelessness in the London borough is worsening, and indicators such as the cost of housing in the UK capital continues to rise.
Therefore, the situation may be similar to that already mentioned in the article about the US, where more and more residents cannot afford housing. This means that by the end of 2023 more and more people in the UK will be homeless.
“This combined with decades of government failure to build enough social homes has driven record levels of homelessness and left many people with no options if they lose the roof over their heads,” Neate blames “all-time high” private rents and rising evictions.
MPs say the challenges only mount if a person finds themselves homeless on the streets. The reasons for this situation can be the most mundane, such as broken relationships, domestic violence, veterans struggling with civilian life, unemployment and loss of housing, according to Bob Blackman, a backbench Conservative MP.
And that’s just the beginning, as the street provokes the formerly decent person into physical and mental ill-health, which in turn increases the likelihood of drug and alcohol addiction.
However, it is worth noting the Westminster Council’s commitment to beneficence, which helps someone in one way or another. For example, Westminster Council spends £7 million a year on services for those who sleep rough, spending more than any other local authority – including beds in hostels and help with alcohol and drug addiction, according to a report.
As the centre of London, Westminster is a destination for rough sleepers from both the U.K. and abroad, and often they have limited connections to the city. For whatever reasons people end up sleeping rough, Westminster City Council is there to support individuals with a wide range of services, a council spokesperson said in a statement.
The British government’s pledge to end the right of landlords to evict tenants without cause, something long demanded by activist groups, will be included in the Renters (Reform) Bill. However, it will not be implemented immediately because Britain’s strained court system needs reform, according to Housing Minister Michael Gove.
As a result of implementation, police and local authorities will be given targeted powers to tackle aggressive begging and rough sleeping in shop doors.
Questions about the bill emerged immediately. Blackman emphasises that the new Criminal Justice Bill should include measures to crack down on aggressive begging, but that people should be helped, not arrested for being homeless.
John Bird, a member of the House of Lords who co-founded Big Issue magazine in the 1990s, argues that change needs to be more fundamental, that the government “needs to be looking at some kind of emergency intervention around housing.”
