Ministers are today accused of an ‘abject failure’ to confront the ‘national crisis’ of homelessness.
A damning report by MPs said more than 9,000 people are sleeping rough on the streets – a number which has increased by 134 per cent in six years.
The Public Accounts Committee also warned that over 78,000 households are living in temporary accommodation – including over 120,000 children. That total has increased by 60 per cent since 2010.
They accused the Department of Communities and Local Government of having an ‘unacceptably complacent’ attitude to tackling the problem.
Ministers are today accused of an ‘abject failure’ to confront the ‘national crisis’ of homelessness
Labour MP Meg Hillier, the committee chairman said: ‘The latest official figures hammer home the shameful state of homelessness in England and the abject failure of the Government’s approach to addressing the misery suffered by many thousands of families and individuals.
‘As we approach Christmas there are thousands of children in temporary accommodation – a salutary reminder of the human cost of policy failure.
‘The Government must do more to understand and measure the real-world costs and causes of homelessness and put in place the joined-up strategy that is so desperately needed.
‘That means properly addressing the shortage of realistic housing options for those at risk of homelessness or already in temporary accommodation.
‘More fundamentally, it means getting a grip on the market’s failure to provide genuinely affordable homes, both to rent and to buy.’
The report said the Government’s commitment to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027 will only address the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
There was an ‘unacceptable shortage’ of realistic housing options for the homeless or those at risk of homelessness, it added.
The MPs made a series of recommendations to the Government, including calls for a strategy by mid-June 2018 on how homelessness can be reduced.
The Public Accounts Committee also warned that over 78,000 households are living in temporary accommodation – including over 120,000 children
Labour housing spokesman John Healey said: ‘This damning cross-party report shows that the Conservatives have caused the crisis of rapidly rising homelessness but have no plan to fix it.
‘This Christmas, the increase in homelessness is visible in almost every town and city in the country, but today’s report confirms ministers lack both an understanding of the problem and any urgency in finding solutions.’
Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue magazine, said: ‘The people we see sleeping rough and living on our streets represent the mere tip of the iceberg.
‘The fact that the “hidden homeless” aren’t even included in the final figures show the extent of the problem.’