‘Local services are vital’: Former rough sleepers on what helped them off the streets
Summary
Formerly homeless people said personal support, access to a bed and help from local services helped them move into housing. They warned that funding cuts, strict hostel rules and app-based services can make support harder to reach, while Andy Burnham has announced a plan to end rough sleeping and secure a bed for everyone who needs one by Christmas.Key Facts
- Martin Fletcher spent more than 20 years homeless before getting accommodation in Sunderland in 2024.
- Fletcher said Basis Sunderland’s drop-in service helped him, but the service closed in July because of a lack of funding.
- The prime minister said the plan would receive an additional £432 million to sustain support into next year.
- Amy Bell experienced street homelessness and heroin addiction for seven years, from 2013 to 2020.
- Bell said a hostel bed helped her reconnect with a drug treatment service and begin rebuilding her life.
- Bell said hostels often exclude people who continue to use drugs, and that people experiencing homelessness need in-person help rather than app-based services.
- Some people interviewed said they moved from England to Scotland because it was easier to get help after Scotland abolished the priority needs test in 2012.
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