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Homeless deaths “shocking and shameful” says CIH


F


igures released by the Office for National Statistics revealed there were an estimated 597 deaths of homeless people in England


and Wales in 2017, a figure that has increased by 24 per cent over the last five years. Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive


Terrie Alafat responded to the news by saying: “It is shocking and shameful that so many people are dying on the streets of our relatively prosperous countries - and that the number has jumped by almost a quarter in five years.” The ONS figures are the first official


estimates of the number of deaths of homeless people. There were 482 deaths among homeless people in 2013, rising to 597 in 2017. Overall, an estimated 2,627 homeless people have died during the five-year period, which staff at many housing charities consider to be a significant under-estimate. A detailed breakdown of the ONS figures shows:


• Men represent 84 per cent of those who died; • More than half of the deaths were because of drug poisoning, liver disease or suicide;


• Deaths increased throughout England, but fell in Wales;


• London and north-west England had the highest proportion of deaths; and


• The average age of death was 44 for men and 42 for women, compared with 76 for men and 81 for women among the rest of the population.


Ms Alafat commented: “These statistics are a


stark reminder of the suffering at the very sharpest end of our national housing crisis. And we must remember that they are only an estimate, so the true figure could be even higher.


CHRONIC HOUSING SHORTAGE “We must take action now. In England, the Government’s rough sleeping strategy aims to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027 – this is achievable, but only with the right level of investment and all of us pulling out the stops to end homelessness. “A chronic shortage of affordable homes


combined with the welfare reforms introduced since 2012 has created a toxic mix. To truly get to the root of the problem, the Government must invest in more genuinely affordable housing as well as reviewing the cumulative impact of welfare reforms like the benefit cap, Universal Credit and the housing benefit freeze for private renters.” Speaking for the Government, Communities


Secretary James Brokenshire responded: “No-one is meant to spend their lives on the streets or without a home to call their own. Every death on our streets is too many and it is simply unacceptable to see lives cut short this way.” Mr Brokenshire said the Government was


committing £1.2bn to tackle homelessness, with £100m earmarked to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027.


Brokenshire wants social houses prioritised for former service personnel with PTSD


Former service personnel suffering from PTSD or other mental illnesses will be prioritised for social housing under proposals put out for consultation by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire. The measures will also help people who divorce


or separate from their partners in the Armed Forces, by exempting them from rules requiring them to be a local resident before being given a property. The consultation will run until early March. An overhaul of the allocation system will


mean all applicants for social housing will be asked if they have served in the Forces at the outset of the process to ensure veterans get extra help. Council staff will also get extra training so they can give support to current and former Armed Forces personnel. Since 2012, current and former service personnel have not had to be ‘resident’ in an area to get access


to a social home for their families.


GREATER SUPPORT Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said: “We have a duty to ensure our heroic military personnel get the support they need when applying for a social home. We want to see that applying for social property should not be a challenge in the transition from military service to civilian life.” Under the proposals, those with Post Traumatic


Stress Disorder and other mental illnesses could be treated in the same way as those with physical injuries, and get the priority they deserve. People who split from their partner in


the Forces are made to move out of military accommodation and can be denied social housing because they have “not been resident


10 | HMM February/March 2019 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk Ms Alafat commented:


“These statistics are a stark reminder of the suffering at the very sharpest end of our national housing crisis. And we must remember that they are only an estimate, so the true figure could be even higher.”


He added that councils were now required to


provide early support for people at risk of having nowhere to live, “boosting access to affordable housing and making renting more secure”. Labour’s shadow housing minister, Melanie Onn,


called the figures shameful and said a Labour government would end rough sleeping within five years. Greg Beales, campaign director at Shelter, called the deaths a source of national shame, “a consequence of a housing system which fails too many people”. Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes called on the


Government to fix the root causes of homelessness, “like building the number of social homes we need and making sure our welfare system is there to support people when they fall on hard times”.


The measures will also help people who divorce or separate from their partners in the Armed Forces, by exempting them from rules requiring them to be a local resident before being given a property. The consultation will run until early March.


in the area for long enough”. They may not be willing or able to settle in the district where their military spouse or partner is stationed, particularly if they have been the victim of domestic abuse. Some councils already support people in this


situation but the Government is consulting on publishing new guidance which will encourage councils to waive the residency rules.


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