§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to enable local authorities to(a) quantify the extent of rough sleeping in their areas, (b) examine the causes of rough sleeping in their areas, (c) analyse the extent to which the needs of the homeless are catered for and (d) review the effectiveness of existing local strategy and the role of the public, private and voluntary sectors. [20874]
§ Mr. ClappisonIt is the responsibility of every local authority to consider the housing needs of all its residents. The current "Housing Strategies" guidance advises local authorities to assess the resources within their area for single homeless people, including authorities' own provision and the contribution being made by others, including the private sector, housing associations, and voluntary sector organisations. The guidance also advises that, to assist this assessment, local authorities may wish to consider undertaking a count of rough sleepers, involving street agencies as appropriate.
The strategy paper "Rough Sleepers Initiative: The Next Challenge", issued by the Government on 4 March 1996 announced that the successful rough sleepers initiative would be extended outside central London to Bristol where a recent single night head count had found 84 people sleeping rough. Twenty-three other local authorities were invited to let my Department know if they would like assistance in undertaking a detailed evaluation of the number of people sleeping rough in their area, including an assessment of current services available. These counts will be undertaken in partnership with local agencies wherever possible.