labourpress:

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, commenting on the response of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, to rising rough sleeping and his confirmation that the Government will support a backbench Bill on homelessness, said:

“The scale of rising homelessness should shame us all. The number of people sleeping on the streets fell under Labour but has doubled with Conservative Ministers in charge.

“So it is welcome that the Government will support the cross-party Homelessness Reduction Bill. Labour backs the Bill and will press Ministers to fully fund it.

“Beyond this new legislation, the truth is you can’t help the homeless if you won’t build the homes. And this government has ended all funding for affordable social rented housing. It’s why the number of new social rented homes started in Labour’s last year was almost 40,000, while last year it was less than 1,000.

“Ministers must now act to tackle the root causes of rising homelessness – build more affordable housing, act on private renting and re-think the crude cuts to housing benefit for the most vulnerable.”