2,000 volunteers ask David Cameron to do more for homeless people
More than 2,000 volunteers have signed a letter calling on the Prime Minister to ensure people get the help they need when they approach their local council as homeless.
The 2,097 volunteers voiced their shock that a homeless single person can approach their council for help and “still be turned away to sleep on the streets”. Under the existing law most single homeless people are not considered a priority for housing. They should still get advice and assistance but too often this doesn’t happen and they can be turned away with little or no help.
The move by the volunteers is part of homelessness charity Crisis’ No One Turned Away campaign which is calling for a change in the law to improve single homeless people’s rights to advice, assistance and emergency accommodation.
Mary Van de Water, who went to Downing Street to hand over the letter, said: “I’ve been volunteering for a quarter of a century now and I know the difference that volunteers and organisations like Crisis can make to the lives of homeless people. But that alone will never be enough – the Government can and must do more.”
She was joined by a number of volunteers as the letter was handed over including Matt Brown who has volunteered over the last three years. He said: “I feel that volunteering is the least that I can do as a citizen in a city with so many homeless people. It is appalling that in 2011 someone who has been made homeless can ask their council for help and not be given any. I hope this letter will make David Cameron think about what more he could do.”
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. No one turned away is a campaign to see the law changed so that all homeless people have a right to meaningful written advice, real assistance and emergency accommodation when they ask their council for help, wherever in the country they live.
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change. Our innovative education, employment, housing and well-being services address individual needs and help people to transform their lives. We are determined campaigners, working to prevent people from becoming homeless and advocating solutions informed by research and our direct experience. We have ambitious plans for the future and are committed to help more people in more places across the UK. We know we won’t end homelessness overnight or on our own. But we take a lead, collaborate with others and, together, make change happen. – www.crisis.org.uk
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