“We’re on the edge of the tsunami”: A Norfolk Housing charity warns
The Government is being encouraged to continue the ‘Everyone In scheme’ to end rough sleeping within the next three years.
Last updated 27th Jul 2021
Last March, the government introduced the ‘Everybody in’ scheme. Over 37,000 people who were rough sleeping during the Covid-19 pandemic were given shelter after the Government made the call to bring people into hotels and other emergency accommodation. The Government are now being called on to continue this scheme into the long term in order to meet its manifesto pledge of ending rough sleeping by 2024.
The Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping is calling for the Government to maintain the additional funding it made available during pandemic – an estimated extra £82 million a year. Without continuing the scheme’s principles and funding there could be a post-pandemic surge of people sleeping rough, warned the independent panel, chaired by former head of the civil service Lord Bob Kerslake.
St Martins is a housing charity in Norfolk, who support around 300 people a day. Dr Jan Sheldon is the CEO:
“I think we’re on the edge of the tsunami.”
“What we are seeing is more people hitting the streets through job losses, evictions et cetera… and also we’re starting to see a slow increase. This is reflected across the whole of the UK in the ‘working homeless’ as well, the people who are desperately trying to hold down jobs that don’t pay very well.”
St Martins has been established since 1972 offering a range of services, including support for people who are sleeping rough, outreach work, learning and development and emergency accommodation.
The charity opened a ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub’ in November 2020, which was designed to support people who have no alternative but to sleep rough.
“In the first few quarters that we were open, we saw about 20 people going through the door each quarter…. But in the last quarter, when we looked at our figures, we found there were 55.”
The Kerslake commission said councils and charities predict an increased new flow of people on to the streets as the winter months approach. This is due to councils having limited options for people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), fewer rooms being available as hotels pick up business, fatigued frontline staff potentially leaving the sector, and people being affected by the removal of the Universal Credit increase.
The Everyone In initiative saw local authorities instructed at the start of the pandemic to provide emergency accommodation to people rough sleeping, people living in shelters with shared sleeping arrangements, and those at risk of rough sleeping.
In March, cross-party MPs from the Housing Committee said the scheme “by definition has finished” as it was no longer helping everyone in need of accommodation, such as those with NRPF. However, the Government insisted the scheme was ongoing and it was “misleading” to suggest otherwise.
The commission was set up to examine the lessons from the public health emergency response to rough sleeping during the pandemic.
Dr Jan Sheldon told us about the support from Norwich City Council:
“We are hugely fortunate in Norwich, we have a vast array of support from the city council. They’re very focused on making sure that people sleeping rough get the help that they need… but it is about, can we gear up a little bit to support people more people.“
“The Covid crisis has shown that with political will and investment, you can end rough sleeping. We did it in 48 hours across the UK.”
The Government’s ‘Everyone In’ programme to assist people sleeping rough through the Covid-19 crisis has been hailed as one of the most effective of its responses to the global pandemic. The sector is keen that the opportunity to build on it to end rough sleeping is not lost and to deliver the Government’s pledge to end rough sleeping by 2024.