The Government has pledged £100 million to end rough sleeping, which will help the rising numbers of homeless people on the streets in Birmingham.
Homelessness charities have welcomed the strategy to end rough sleeping by 2027, but warned it will not provide a “total fix”.
Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that fifty-seven people in Birmingham were thought to be sleeping rough each night in autumn last year, the most recent period for which numbers are available.
Across West Midlands, there were an estimated 295 rough sleepers – the highest level since data was first published in 2010 – with the region accounting for 6% of the 4,751 people sleeping rough across England.
The new strategy will focus on stopping people from becoming homeless in the first place, provide support for mental health and addictions, and help people secure accommodation.
The budget includes £50 million for homes outside London for those ready to move on from hostels or refuges, and £30 million for mental health support for rough sleepers.
The Prime Minister, Theresa May, said: “Nobody should have to sleep rough and that’s why we must do all we can to help the most vulnerable in our society get the support they need.
“But we recognise this is a complex issue – as well as ensuring people have somewhere to live, we have to deal with underlying problems and ultimately help people turn their lives around.”
Rough sleeping has become an increasingly widespread problem in recent years, with the number of people across England affected increasing year-on-year since data was first published. Over that time, the number of rough sleepers nearly tripled.
The rise has been reflected in Birmingham, where there were just nine rough sleepers counted in 2010.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Here in the West Midlands over the last 18 months, the various members of the Homelessness Task Force have been focused on ‘designing out’ homelessness in all of its forms, not just rough sleeping.
“The Rough Sleeping Strategy announced by Government today recognises that even one person sleeping rough is too many and commits cross government support and resources to halving this by the 2022 and ending rough sleeping nationally by 2027. There is much in the strategy to be welcomed and we hope will complement the £9.6million recently awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority for Housing First.
“In particular, we welcome the new funding for ‘navigators’ whose job it is to help rough sleepers get the help they need from the system, and the increased bed numbers and improved access to mental health support for rough sleepers.
“I think also the recognition of the challenge presented by synthetic drugs – particularly spice, which is so visible in our city centres – is a really important step.
“One piece of work in particular we have led on in the West Midlands has involved the link with modern slavery and understanding whether homelessness is a driver or consequence of modern slavery and I am pleased this is acknowledged in the strategy.
“Our focus must remain on the root causes of homelessness in all of its forms and addressing the systemic issues, such as affordable housing and employment opportunities.”
In a joint statement, seven homelessness charities who advised ministers hailed the strategy as “a significant step towards the Government’s goal of ending rough sleeping by 2027, which will make a real difference to people’s lives”.
However, the charities – Crisis, Homeless Link, National Housing Federation, Shelter, St Basils, St Mungos and Thames Reach – warned: “For the strategy to work, the Government must also set out bold, cross-departmental plans to tackle the root causes of all forms of homelessness and prevent it from happening in the first place.
“This must include plans to build significantly more social housing, to foster greater security for renters, to ensure people have access to benefits and other support they need to help them keep their homes.”
