Shocking rise in the number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire

The number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the government’s statistics.
The number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statisticsThe number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statistics
The number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statistics

Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that 246 people were rough sleeping in Yorkshire in 2018 compared to 115 in 2010.

The figures are based on one single night survey taken in October.

Roughing sleeping in Yorkshire

The number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statisticsThe number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statistics
The number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire has risen again according to the governments statistics
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The region saw a jump in the number of rough sleepers from 2010 to 2018. In 2010, the statistics show that 115 were sleeping rough, which jumped to 150 people in 2011 and 157 in 2012.

Numbers dipped slightly in 2013 and 2014, with 129 and 126 rough sleepers. However, this number then began to rise again by 2015, with 160 sleeping rough.

In 2016, statistics show 172 rough sleepers, climbing considerably to 207 in 2017 and 246 in 2018, this being more than double the amount compared with 2010 statistics.

England statistics

Local authorities’ street counts and estimates show that 4,677 people were found sleeping rough in England on a single night in autumn 2018.

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This is down by 74 (2%) from the autumn 2017 total of 4,751, and up by 2,909 (165%) from the autumn 2010 total of 1,768.

London and the West Midlands were the regions that saw the largest increases in the number of people sleeping rough from 2017.

Charities respond to growing rate of rough sleeping

Centrepoint head of public affairs Paul Noblet warns that there are "many more hidden homeless people" in unsafe accommodation.

"Today's snapshot statistics may show a slight decrease in the number of people rough-sleeping, but these figures are only the tip of a much larger iceberg as they only attempt to count the number of people sleeping rough on one night of the year," he said.

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Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said that the scale of rough sleeping is a "damning reflection on our society", urging the Government to tackle the root causes.

And Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "The combination of spiralling rents, a faulty benefits system and lack of social housing means the number of people forced to sleep rough has risen dramatically since 2010.”

Responding to today’s Government data on rough sleeping, Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation says: “Despite a slight drop from their peak last year, rough sleeping figures have still increased by nearly three thousand people since 2010 - that speaks for itself, nowhere near enough is being done to help people off the streets and into secure accommodation.

“With a comprehensive spending review on the horizon, there has never been a greater need to invest in affordable housing, and to put money back into vital services to support an increasing number of vulnerable people who are being allowed to slip through the net.”

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