With polling day mere days away, over 350 Parliamentary Candidates standing for election across England have now signed Homeless Link's pledge.
The pledge calls for candidates, if elected as an MP, to commit to champion the needs of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness to help end it for good. Signatories have come from across the political spectrum, with notable names including:
- Paula Barker, Labour candidate for Liverpool Wavertree and co-chair of the APPG for ending homelessness
- Marsha de Cordova, Labour candidate for Battersea and member of the APPG for ending homelessness
- Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat candidate for North Shropshire and spokesperson for housing
- Carla Denyer, Co-leader of the Green Party and candidate for Bristol Central
- Timothy Barnes, Conservative candidate for Cities of London and Westminster
Rough sleeping rose by 27% in 2023 and 60% over the past two years. Meanwhile a record number of people, including over 145,000 children are currently experiencing homelessness, trapped living in temporary accommodation, often in squalid and overcrowded conditions.
At the same time, the homelessness sector has contracted significantly. The latest research from Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, found that the number of bed spaces for people experiencing single homelessness has decreased by 26% since 2010. With pressure on services growing, 71% of accommodation projects reported having to turn someone away from support because their project was full.
Homeless Link Director of Social Change, Fiona Colley said:
“Everyone needs a safe place to live, so it’s very heartening to see so many parliamentary candidates commit to championing the needs of people experiencing homelessness to help end it for good.
“The trauma of homelessness ripples through people’s lives and that of their loved ones, whilst also placing huge strain on public services. The next Government can and must act decisively to address the problem and create a society with a home for everyone. We will be working with MPs across the house to make sure of this.”
Homeless Link’s Manifesto to End Homelessness sets out the following four asks of the next Government:
- Build 90,000 social homes per year over a decade and reform the private rented sector
- Adopt a cross-Government strategy to end homelessness, led by a new taskforce
- Ensure there are a diverse network of homelessness services available to all who need them
- Embed long-term ring-fenced homelessness funding
