Posted 12.09.16
Over fifty leaders of health and homelessness organisations, celebrities, politicians and campaigners are calling on the Prime Minister to put an end to rough sleeping, particularly for those people with mental health problems.
Five years ago, statistics showed that 1,768 people were seen sleeping rough in England on any one night. That figure has now more than doubled to 3,569. There was a 30% increase in the last year alone.
Signatories to an open letter from St Mungo's 'Stop the Scandal' campaign include Grayson Perry, Rory Bremner, Phil Spencer, Commander Christine Jones, NPCC and the Metropolitan Police lead for mental health, David Mackintosh MP, Chair of the APPG for Ending Homelessness; Dr Mark Porter, Chair of the BMA and Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind.
They join thousands of campaigners in demonstrating their support.
Recent research from St Mungo's shows that the number of people rough sleeping with a mental health problem has tripled over the last six years. In addition 61% of staff working in homelessness services say rough sleepers can not access the mental health services they need.
The charity's report 'Stop the Scandal: An investigation into mental health and rough sleeping' found that four in ten rough sleepers have a mental health problem, rising to over half of rough sleepers from the UK. In addition, rough sleepers with a mental health problem end up on the streets for longer.
Click here for further reading on the St Mungo's website.
