18 December 2018
St Mungo’s has welcomed a Labour Party pledge to provide emergency shelter across the nation for every rough sleeper during cold weather.
The Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey announced the party’s £100m cold weather fund which it hopes will make emergency accommodation available in every area whenever local temperatures are set to fall below freezing.
Howard Sinclair, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “The return of mass rough sleeping in recent years is a national disaster, and the Labour Party is right to be looking for ways to make sure no one is stuck sleeping rough.
“Making more emergency accommodation available during the coldest periods will save lives. Any emergency response to rough sleeping must include ways of finding people and helping them in from the cold, as well as providing the shelter and support needed to stop people from returning to the street.
“Importantly, we also need politicians to focus on the long-term housing and support required to end rough-sleeping for good.
“Which is why our Home for Good campaign is calling for more social housing, a more secure and affordable private rented sector, and a new programme of long-term, guaranteed funding for homelessness services.”
