Government warned of future homelessness crisis

Leading figures in West Midlands local government have written an open letter to the government urging them to offer additional support for the homeless during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

The letter outlines the regions approach to reducing the impact of Covid-19 on people facing homelessness and says the government must provide the support to sustain the current level of support that has been offered, with every known rough sleeper receiving an offer of accommodation.

In particular, concern has been raised around the early release of those in prison and the expected rise in the supported asylum population at a time where existing pressures on local housing, homelessness, health and welfare provisions are further exacerbated by the crisis.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: ‘The impact of COVID-19 has been severe across the whole of the West Midlands, but perhaps those most vulnerable to the virus are the region’s rough sleepers.

‘Local authorities have done a superb job in protect our most vulnerable and offering accommodation to every single rough sleeper in the region during this incredibly difficult period, but it is clear there are still some issues that we need to work through with government.

‘We also need to begin to look past the crisis and work with ministers on how we could use this unprecedented situation as an opportunity to keep rough sleepers off the streets and take a significant step forward in the fight against homelessness in the West Midlands.’

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Homelessness Taskforce Members Advisory Group is made of the seven local authorities: Birmingham City Council, Sandwell Council, Dudley Council, Wolverhampton Council, Coventry City Council, Walsall Council and Solihull Council.

In March, New Start published an article from two academics at the University of York, who wrote that the coronavirus crisis shows why homelessness urgently needs to become a thing of the past.