Today (20 August 2020) it has been reported that Dame Louise Casey has stepped down from her role as adviser to the Government, leading their rough sleeper taskforce. 

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “We are sad to hear that Dame Louise Casey is stepping down. For the second time in her career, Dame Louise has made extraordinary progress in tackling rough sleeping across England. At the start of the pandemic, nearly 15,000 people were provided with safe accommodation in a matter of weeks under her assertive leadership. It showed what can be achieved when homelessness is given the priority it deserves and when there is joined up action across Government departments.

“We urge Minsters not to leave a leadership vacuum. With the economic impact of the pandemic pushing more people into homelessness, we must redouble our efforts otherwise we risk rates of rough sleeping rising with all the human misery this entails. Crisis is urgently calling for emergency legislation to protect renters from eviction and to guarantee everyone experiencing homelessness with temporary accommodation during this ongoing public health crisis.”