Number of homeless in Ashfield on the rise

Charity Crisis has urged the Government to do more to tackle the root causes of homelessness, calling the scale of rough sleeping a "damning reflection on our society".

The council estimated that five people were sleeping on the streets in Ashfield during a spot check on one night last autumn, according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

An estimate in 2010 put the number of rough sleepers at one.

Charities think official figures are likely an underestimation, as many rough sleepers stay in hard-to-find places.

The MHCLG compares different areas by working out the number of rough sleepers as a proportion of all households.

Local authorities across England estimated there were 4,677 people sleeping rough on the same night last autumn.

However, the number of rough sleepers has increased significantly since 2010, when there were just 1,768 recorded cases.

Housing charity Shelter blamed a lack of social housing, spiralling rents, and a "faulty" benefits system for the dramatic rise in the number of rough sleepers.

Chief executive Polly Neate said: "We welcome many of the things that the Government has been doing to seek to improve services for rough sleepers, but without fundamental action to tackle the root causes of homelessness these measures will only achieve so much."

In Ashfield, all of the rough sleepers recorded last autumn were male.

Of those who had their age recorded, all were 26 or over.

Paul Nobet, head of public affairs at homelessness charity Centrepoint, warned that there were many more hidden homeless people living in unsafe accommodation, who were not recorded in the rough sleeper count.

He said: "These snapshot statistics may show a slight decrease in the number of people rough sleeping, but these figures are only the tip of a much larger iceberg."

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, has warned that preventing rough sleeping is "becoming increasingly difficult", citing a funding gap of more than £100 million for homelessness services in 2019-20.

"The number of vulnerable people sleeping on our streets has now fallen for the first time in eight years," he said.

"But while these figures are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, I do not underestimate the task ahead in achieving our ambition of eliminating rough sleeping altogether by 2027."

Cllr John Wilmott, Cabinet Member for Social & Council Housing says “Ashfield District Council has been committed to the prevention of homelessness for many years and has invested in a range of services to provide the assistance our residents need to access a secure, warm and affordable home.

“However, the demand for our services continues to rise as our residents feel the impact of a weak economy, changes to the welfare system, an undersupply of affordable housing and funding cuts for public services and the voluntary sector. Despite this, we remain committed to preventing as many residents as possible from experiencing homelessness, which is often hugely disruptive to their health and wellbeing.

“There are a number of services available already to help anyone rough sleeping in Ashfield, including a Street Outreach service and winter shelter, and we are applying for further Government funding to enhance these services so that we can do even more. Between September and December 2018 alone, council teams prevented 16 people from having to sleep on the streets. The Council is committed to bringing an end to rough sleeping which is an unacceptable way for anyone to live and which can be deadly.”

- Anyone rough sleeping, or worried they have nowhere to stay can contact the Housing Options Team on 01623 457252 for advice and help to find somewhere to live.

- Members of the public can report anyone they see rough sleeping to the Framework Street Outreach Team who will make contact with them and provide help to get off the street: 0800 066 5356