Sleeping Rough

(asked on 1st April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average proportion change recorded in the bimonthly counts for the Rough Sleeping Initiative has been in (a) London and (b) England since July 2018.


Answered by
Heather Wheeler Portrait
Heather Wheeler
This question was answered on 4th April 2019

This information is not available. We do not intend to publish the results from the bi-monthly counts conducted in the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) areas. The official measure of rough sleeping is the annual rough sleeping statistics.

The bi-monthly counts for the RSI are internal management information and, unlike the annual snapshot rough sleeping statistics, are not independently verified. Publication could therefore undermine public trust and confidence in the integrity of the official annual statistics.

We intend to publish findings from both an impact and process evaluation of the RSI later this year. This will include analysis of relevant information collected from local authorities as part of the Department’s monitoring of the initiative.

The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. In its first year, the RSI provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. In all,the Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

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