Homelessness rises 55% under coalition
The number of people sleeping rough in England increased in 2014, with a rise of 55% since the Coalition was formed.
Statistics released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) revealed that 2,744 people were sleeping on the streets on any one night over autumn 2014. That represents an increase of 330 people, or 14%, since autumn 2013, an extension of a five year trend.
Labour blamed the rise on a weak welfare reforms and falling personal incomes, while Conservatives attributed the problem to immigration.
This is a problem that we cannot ignore and needs to be a top priority for the next government
Charity St Mungo's Broadway called for more to be done to tackle homelessness. Chief executive Howard Sinclair said: "We are extremely concerned that yet again we are seeing a rise in the levels of rough sleeping. This is a problem that we cannot ignore and needs to be a top priority for the next government."
"As well as tackling the housing crisis overall, there is an urgent need to improve the help people receive from councils when looking for help with their homelessness,” he added.
London was found to have 742 people sleeping rough on any given night, accounting for roughly a quarter of the national figure. This was an increase of 37% from 2013, compared with a rise of 7% in the rest of England.