Number of homeless people who have died with coronavirus reaches 16 as councils tell young people to sleep rough

Sixteen homeless people are known to have died with coronavirus in England during the first three months of the lockdown, analysis has found.
Homeless people are particularly at risk from the pandemic because they are unable to self-isolateHomeless people are particularly at risk from the pandemic because they are unable to self-isolate
Homeless people are particularly at risk from the pandemic because they are unable to self-isolate

The deaths of 16 homeless people involving coronavirus were registered between March 26 and June 26, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.

But it cautioned that the figure may be an underestimate of the true number of homeless people who have died with the virus.

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Separate research has shown that young people at risk of homelessness were being told to sleep rough by councils in order to be housed in emergency hotel and hostel accommodation.

The homelessness charity, Centrepoint, said calls to its helpline from young people experiencing homelessness rose 50 per cent during the pandemic.

Previously only one third of the charity’s young people had slept rough before the pandemic, but the number of people calling the Centrepoint helpline who are sleeping rough has doubled within three months. A leading cause of this has been family breakdown, where young people are made to leave home quickly without a transition in place due to strict lockdown laws and concerns of spreading covid-19 to friends who would previously have offered couch surfing.

While many homeless youngsters had access to hotel rooms, they have been forced to leave as that funding has run out.

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Chief executive Seyi Obakin said: “Young people at risk of homelessness have long struggled to access the support they need, with councils often lacking the resources they require to help them. This changed over lockdown, with money from central government giving councils what they needed to get rough sleepers off the streets.

“However, calls to the Centrepoint Helpline showed us that, once the hotel rooms and money started running out, some local authorities reverted back to their earlier rules, leaving those who became homeless during the pandemic unaccommodated. We heard from young people who had worked in hospitality and could no longer pay rent after losing their job; others who had been sofa surfing were no longer able to rely on friends and families who were now self-isolating and were worried about taking them in.

“Due to the pandemic, young people have been in more danger and in more vulnerable situations than ever before. While everyone is being told to stay in and stay safe, too many homeless young people cannot do this. That is why the government must act now to ensure that not only this level of support offered to rough sleepers at the beginning of the lockdown continues, but that it is extended to those vulnerable young people facing hidden homelessness too.”

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