Councillors and charities team up to address homelessness in Portsmouth
Concern around homelessness has become a national issue. Statistics from autumn 2018 show that the total number of people counted or estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night was 4,677. London accounted for 27% of the total number of people sleeping rough in England.
Even though this is a national problem, a short walk through Southsea is enough for anyone to see how serious the issue of homelessness is in Portsmouth. Whether it’s on the corner of your road or in Guildhall Square, you can see people sleeping rough all around the city.
As well as cold winter nights, homeless people also have the constant worry about their safety in terms of crime.
The number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales was released by The Office for National Statistics earlier this year. From 2016 to 2017 the national number of identified deaths increased by 30.
While Portsmouth saw a slight decrease from six to two identified deaths in the latest figures, the number of homeless people in the seaside city’s busy streets continues to be a problem.
But the local council is taking steps to try and address the situation. Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: “There is a £1 million scheme to buy properties and we are also working with the Hope into Action charity for them to buy houses. We will be looking to provide an extra 200 council properties.”
Chairman of Churches Homeless Action, Reverend Canon Bob White, says that while the situation regarding the number of rough sleepers continues to be a concern, it is good to see initiatives and groups working together to address the cause of insufficient housing.
He said: “Schemes such as Hope into Action and Portsmouth Community Housing Trust are seeking to work together to provide homes for those in need. It is important that we work together in partnership with the statutory and voluntary sectors to understand the issues and find solutions together.”
Cabinet Member for Housing, Darren Sanders, spoke further about the work the council is doing with Reverend Canon Bob White’s charity.
“We employ various organisations to help run our day and night service. We’re working with an umbrella organisation of churches known as Churches Homeless Action. They offer support to those who sleep rough in dedicated homes by buying properties. We’re keen as a Liberal Democrat administration to help them help homeless people.”
Around three-quarters of the £1 million of Government funding has gone into the day and night service. The money has helped fund the service and also expand the support the council can offer to homeless people. The scheme has already shown that it can benefit homeless people, according to Councillor Darren Sanders.
“The scheme is helping around 40 or 50 people who would otherwise sleep rough. We’re not finished yet, we have to treat them as individuals rather than cogs in a system. We want to come up with plans for each of them based around a package of accommodation and support.
“Every person has their own story whether it’s a veteran from Afghanistan or someone who has left home. Everyone is different and our approach is to treat them as human beings rather than treat them as one big lump which is very easy for politicians to do.”
It seems that Portsmouth councillors and charities are trying to do their best to combat the issue of homelessness by not only offering shelter but also tackling anti-social behaviour.
“We’re governing the number of wardens that patrol our high streets. They offer advice and support and when people do something wrong we can deal with that too.”
