King's Speech 2024: Wisbech couple make mental health plea to help homeless
The King is due to make the Speech later today
Last updated 17th Jul 2024
A former homeless couple in Wisbech is telling us better help for people living on the streets must be a priority.
It comes as the new Labour Government sets out its proposed laws in the King's Speech later today.
Jo Johnson and Jenny Edwards were rehomed last year after living in a tent for five years.
Calls for better funding
"We are invisible, people have got to be told that not everybody on the street is out to get them; we are there for a reason," Jenny said.
"The main problem is most homeless people and rough sleeping have mental health problems to start with and some people on the streets, they don't take their medication and end up in institutions.
"(I want to see) some sort of campaign to show we're human, we can be approached, we can be spoken to.
"They have to fight for their funding every year, the people that deal with the people that see them once a week that try and house them; they're the people that need the funding."
Rise in demand for homelessness support
Fenland District Council (FDC) has reported a jump in requests for support from its homelessness service.
In 2018/19, the council received 1,856 requests compared to 2,093 in 2022/23, and since 2020, there has also been a 20% increase in requests from family households with children.
FDC said the main causes of homelessness include family and friends no longer being able to house someone, a relationship ending, the end of a private rented tenancy agreement and domestic violence.
But in the 12 months to March 2024, FDC prevented 257 households from becoming homeless.
Cllr Sam Hoy, FDC's portfolio holder for housing, said: "We face significant challenges in homelessness moving forward, with the cost of living crisis and those rough sleepers without recourse to public funds or those who are not yet ready to engage.
"Despite the challenges, our draft strategy is one of ambition and creativity.
"We hope it will build on the innovations already delivered by the council, strong partnership working and a service which is already delivering good outcomes for many people."
What is the King's Speech?
Written by the Government, the King's Speech marks the start of the new parliamentary year and sets out the Government's agenda for the year ahead.
This includes proposed laws and other announcements, and the Speech is expected to take around 10 minutes.
For 2024, the Speech is due to outline 35 draft laws that ministers are due to work on, focusing on topics including education, housing and mental health.