§ Mrs. Betty WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made by the Social Exclusion Unit to reduce the number of rough sleepers. [23455]
§ Ms KeebleThe Rough Sleepers Unit was established in April 1999 following a recommendation of the Social Exclusion Unit in their 1998 report into rough sleeping. The unit was tasked by the Prime Minister to reduce the number of people sleeping rough in England to as near to zero as possible and by at least two thirds by 2002.
The Rough Sleepers Unit published its strategy on tackling rough sleeping, "Coming in from the Cold", in December 1999. The strategy outlined a raft of new policies and services to deliver the target, which are now all in place across England. These services include helping people sleeping rough on the streets with drug, alcohol and mental health problems; helping former rough sleepers rebuild their lives through education, training and 862W employment; and preventing a new generation of rough sleepers particularly those leaving care, the armed forces and prison.
The Prime Minister announced on 3 December 2001 that his target had been met and figures show that there are now 532 people sleeping rough in England, compared with around 1,850 in June 1998. This represents a reduction of 71 per cent.
The success has been due to the RSU's strategy and the hard work of key partners in central and local government and the voluntary and private sector. The RSU's second progress report, published in summer 2001, shows the significant impact the "Coming in from the Cold" strategy has made to individual lives.
My noble Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning announced on 3 December that a new Homelessness Directorate would be established in January to bring together and invigorate exiting work to help homeless people and to develop new work to prevent homelessness and investigate its underlying causes. The directorate will also continue to help vulnerable people sleeping on the nation's streets to come inside, help people to rebuild their lives and prevent tomorrow's rough sleepers from hitting the streets in the first place.
The new directorate will be responsible for taking forward the Government's strategic framework for homelessness in the new year.