Campaign background and facts

Campaign background - rough sleeping

Tonight, rough sleepers will be bedding down on our streets once again.

There will be a great deal fewer people sleeping rough tonight than there were ten years ago. But that is of little comfort to those who will still be out in the cold tonight.

Rough sleeping is just the tip of the iceberg of homelessness and for many years Crisis has highlighted the problem of hidden homelessness.

We estimate that up to 400,000 single people are homeless but do not qualify for help from their council and are living out of sight on friends’ and families’ floors, hostels, temporary bed and breakfast accommodation and in overcrowded or unsatisfactory accommodation.

For a fuller description of rough sleeping and the solutions that Crisis recommends, download our campaign briefing.

What's the solution?

Crisis sets out the following recommendations for Government to achieve these aims:

Responsibility

The Government must take responsibility for recognising and solving the problem of rough sleeping by getting an accurate picture of those who are sleeping rough and setting a realistic target for further reductions in rough sleeping.

Prevention

The Government should focus on preventing people, even if they get into trouble, from becoming homeless and certainly from sleeping rough, by creating an effective safety net for all who are without, or at risk of losing, accommodation, including a review of local authorities’ responsibilities and duties to provide temporary accommodation.

Engage and support

The Government needs to fund services which engage with and support people who are currently sleeping rough, in particular those services which improve skills and tackle health and dependency issues.

Independent living

The Government must help people rebuild their lives, move into independent living and break out of homelessness for good by providing more move-on accommodation, reforming the system of Housing Benefit and supporting people into employment.

For a fuller description of rough sleeping and the solutions that Crisis recommends, download our campaign briefing.