Lib Dems commit to ending rough sleeping

South Lakes MP and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has committed to ending the scandal of rough sleeping in Britain.

Tim has announced a series of measures the party would put in place to help end rough sleeping.

These include introducing a Housing First provider in each local authority, to put long-term homeless people straight into independent homes rather than emergency shelters. Other policies include increasing funding for local councils for homelessness prevention, reinstating housing benefit for under-21s and reversing planned cuts to Local Housing Allowance rates.

Although in South Lakeland it is estimated that there are only three people sleeping rough, across the UK the number rose 16% last year to 4134. The Government has estimated that homelessness costs the state up to £1 billion a year.

The news comes as a coalition of charities, including Centrepoint, Crisis, Homeless Link, Shelter and St Mungo's, have called on political parties to commit to end rough sleeping in Britain.

Tim said: "The local council and local charities deserve credit for helping rough sleepers in our area and keeping the numbers so low. However, it is a national scandal that so many people are sleeping on the streets in 21st century Britain.

"By increasing support for homelessness prevention and properly funding emergency accommodation, we can end rough sleeping across the country.

"We will also ensure each local authority has at least one provider of Housing First services, to allow long-term homeless people to live independently in their own homes.

"The evidence suggests that supporting people and giving them long-term, stable places to stay is far more successful in tackling homelessness than constantly moving them to different temporary accommodation.

"Under this government, homelessness has soared and the stripping of young people of housing benefit threatens to make matters even worse."