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Rough sleepers increase in England in 2016: statistics

Xinhua, January 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

Official figures from a snap survey show on Wednesday that over 4,100 people were forced to sleep on streets of England in 2016, a rise of 16 percent on the same period a year ago.

The figures were collated by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and published on its website.

The DCLG figures show more than half of towns and cities in England recorded a rise in rough sleeping compared with the year before.

Outside London, the number of people on streets rose 20 percent, while in the British capital the figure was 3 percent higher than a year earlier.

The city of Westminster in central London emerged as home to the biggest number of rough sleepers in the country.

Of the around 1,000 rough sleepers across London, more than a quarter were found to be in Westminster, according to the DCLG figures.

But it's also home to multi-millionaires, the British parliament and boasts some of the most expensive properties of the country.

Jon Sparkes, CEO of the national homeless charity Crisis, said: "Behind these statistics are thousands of desperate people, sleeping in doorways, bin shelters, stations and parks, anywhere they can find to stay safe and escape the elements."

Describing the increase in rough sleepers as appalling, Sparkes added: "Rough sleeping ruins lives, leaving people vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on their mental and physical health."

According to Sparkes, a recent research has shown sleepers are 17 times more likely to be victims of violence.

The number of people sleeping rough sleeping has risen sharply since 2010 when 1,768 people were recorded across England.

More than 900 were from other countries, mostly other European Union countries, according to the statistics.

Sparkes called for immediate action to prevent homelessness expansion.

He said "There is no time to waste. We need the government to take action on this issue, and we stand ready to work with officials to plan and deliver an ambitious new approach." Endit