Official figures released today have confirmed a fourth annual reduction in the number of people sleeping on the streets of Greater Manchester.
Data published today by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities have verified the reduction documented by Greater Manchester local authority teams in November 2021. During that count, local authority teams found 89 people – the first time since 2013 that the number of people sleeping rough had fallen below 100 on a single-night survey.
That represents a drop of 29 per cent on the previous year, and 67 per cent since 2017 – both of which are ahead of the national reductions of 9 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
Despite this success, Greater Manchester has sounded a warning that the current cost-of-living crisis faced by households across the city-region risks throwing more people into precarious housing situations. This is echoed by the Crisis Homelessness Monitor for England, also published this week. While more dedicated support is in place across the 10 boroughs than ever before, the Mayor has called on the Government to work in partnership with Greater Manchester to tackle the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping, requiring housing market reform and more.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “The progress we’ve made is proof of the real difference that our ground-breaking approach to rough sleeping is making to people’s lives. For the first time in a decade, the number of people sleeping on our streets is in double figures. This would not have been possible without the tireless work of our Homelessness Action Network and the hundreds of people across the city-region who have been on this journey with us and played their part.
“We know, however, that the job is not yet finished. These figures won’t be of comfort to anyone who’s had to weather the recent storms out on our streets.
“The pandemic brought immense pressure on people’s housing situations, leading to a rise in homelessness. We stepped up our response through our offer of a bed to everybody who needs one, with wrap-around support to help them get back of their feet. Now, the cost-of-living crisis threatens to push more people into untenable situations.
“Thanks to the collaborative approach we’ve adopted, we now have a dedicated infrastructure in place, putting us in a better position than ever before to respond to this crisis. Greater Manchester has agreed a new funding deal for A Bed Every Night to put it on a stronger, more sustainable footing. The Government deserves credit for recognising the success of the Housing First pilot here and extending it, and together with ABEN it is providing people with a pathway away from the streets. In spite of the challenges that we face, our commitment to end rough sleeping is stronger than ever, and we will continue making every effort to achieve this goal.”
