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Thousands of rough sleepers in England are remain unhoused, some homelessness charities have said, despite an unprecedented government request to local authorities to find housing for those on the streets by Sunday evening (29th March) to help combat the spread of Covid-19.
After the unfunded request from the government last week – which was made due to the escalating Coronavirus crisis – homelessness charities questioned whether fulfilling it would be feasible.
But on Monday, charities stressed the considerable progress that had been made, with the national homelessness charity Crisis estimating that about 4,200 had been rehoused in England within a few week – though they were also keen to point out that some homeless people have yet to be taken in.
“It shows what you can do with money and organisation and an assertive approach from government,” said Matthew Downie, director of Policy at Crisis.
He added: “There shouldn’t be too much self-congratulation about this. There are people still on the streets, and many people who won’t have eaten for days.
“But we should recognise that it has taken a global pandemic to sort out an absolutely solvable problem.
“It is possible to get thousands of people off the streets and out of night shelters in the space of a week.”
Meanwhile, charities dealing primarily with people who have an uncertain immigration status said they were worried about the amount of support being offered.
People with a ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) status – which is given to some asylum seekers, or people who have a limited immigration status – are not typically eligible for support from homelessness charities that rely on government funding.
“It’s clear that NRPF conditions from the Home Office are prohibiting local authorities from supporting an extremely vulnerable groups of people,” said a spokesperson for Naccom, a charity helping destitute migrants.
The Glass Door Homeless Charity said it had been contacted by many people still in urgent need of housing.
“We have had one case of someone sleeping rough who has been told they must reconnect to their home country rather than being offered accommodation,” said Neil Parkinson, a senior caseworker.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote to the prime minister on Monday asking him to suspend the NRPF status.
He said: “Across London, there are tens of thousands of residents with NRPF, including delivery drivers, cleaners, and NHS staff.
“Londoners with NRPF are at real risk of homelessness.”
Figures for the total number of rough sleepers and homeless people in England are unreliable, but Crisis estimates that there are thousands more people still in night shelters, lying next to each other on church hall floors or still living in hostels where they have to access shared space to cook or wash.
Earlier today Crisis officially launched its Emergency Grants Fund, aiming to support local homeless charities during the Coronavirus crisis.
The Home Office, which is responsible for regulations around which non-UK citizens have access to public funds, said: “Nobody should find themselves starving or destitute.
“Measures we have brought forward such as rent and mortgage protections and food vouchers are not considered public funds and can be accessed by migrants with leave to remain.”
But charities remained concerned about the situation for people who do not have ‘leave to remain’ immigration status.
