Coronavirus: All rough sleepers in England should be housed by weekend, government says

The government has urged all local authorities in England to house people sleeping rough in hostels and night shelters by the weekend, as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In a letter sent to homelessness managers and rough sleeping coordinators across the country, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We are all redoubling our efforts to do what we possibly can at this stage to ensure that everybody is inside and safe by this weekend, and we stand with you in this.

“These are unusual times so I’m asking for an unusual effort. Many areas of the country have already been able to ’safe harbour’ their people which is incredible. What we need to do now though is work out how we can get ‘everyone in’.”

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, described the announcement as a “landmark moment,” saying that it was “the right thing to do”.

He added: “Questions remain about how local councils will be supported to do this, and whether additional funding, or assistance securing hotel rooms, will be made available.”

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