Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that the government will leave nobody sleeping on the streets this winter. The pledge builds on a commitment the Prime Minister made on his first day in office and reflects his wider ambition to drive lasting national change on rough sleeping. YMCA Fairthorne Group applauded this as an important and necessary step forward while urging the government not to let it be the last one.
Josh Towers, Director of Youth Services for YMCA Fairthorne Group, said,
“We are so pleased to see the government recognising rough sleepers and devoting resources to supporting them. It is a positive and welcome signal that this issue is being taken seriously at the highest level.”
The importance of prevention
The charity supports young people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight through youth services including supported housing and move on accommodation. Through this work, the organisation sees first-hand how a lack of investment in prevention lies at the heart of the wider housing crisis – and how without it, more young people are likely to find themselves at risk of homelessness in the first place.
Josh continued,
“It is so important to ensure people are not rough sleeping during the colder months. However, at the YMCA, we would urge the Prime Minister to look just as closely at the importance of sustainable prevention models. Real, lasting change means working together to build new homes, strengthen support services, and put the right help in place long before someone reaches that desperate level of need.”
Getting people indoors for Christmas is vital – but stopping them from ending up on the streets in the first place is how we truly end rough sleeping for good. That is why the YMCA nationally aims to build 10,000 new homes to help end the youth housing crisis.
YMCA Fairthorne Group continues to call on national and local government to work alongside charities and housing providers to invest in prevention-focused solutions, particularly for young people, so that emergency responses like this winter’s pledge become less necessary over time.
