The Guardian view on rough sleeping: Burnham’s laudable target is in danger of being missed | Editorial

Energetic mayors and councils can help street homeless people to rebuild their lives. But the underlying affordability crisis needs tackling tooBringing an end to rough sleeping was among Andy Burnham’s first pledges after entering Downing Street – as it was when he became mayor of Manchester. With temperatures dropping, and frosts expected, winter night shelters across the UK are up and running. But an ongoing acute shortage of suitable housing and the latest tranche of early prisoner releases mean ministers know that the prime minister’s laudable target is in danger of being missed.The official figures are shocking. There were 8,748 rough sleepers in England in June, an increase of about 1,000 since January (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland collect data separately). These are among the most vulnerable people in society, both in terms of past experiences and future prospects, including drastically curtailed life expectancy. The complex and sometimes chaotic situations of people who end up on the streets, most of whom are men, mean that helping them is challenging. Family breakdown, substance misuse, mental health difficulties and prison are among the many adverse life experiences that rough sleepers are disproportionately likely to face.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...