Burnham’s battle to end rough sleeping by 2020 – can he do it?

Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping by 2020 played a large part in the campaign which saw him become the Mayor of Greater Manchester ten months ago. Burnham inherited a growing homelessness and housing crisis which has seen the level of rough sleeping rise 13-fold in Manchester since 2010, with the problem escalating quicker […]

Andy Burnham describes a ‘humanitarian crisis’ as 42% rough sleeping increase across Greater Manchester revealed

Mayor Andy Burnham yesterday described the 42% increase in rough sleeping across Greater Manchester between 2016 to 2017 as a “humanitarian crisis”. The increase was revealed in the official rough sleeping statistics for England released by the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government. Burnham criticised a number of central government policies, which he blames […]

Government support for hard working families leaves record levels in poverty

Despite a government that continually expresses its support for hard working families, a recent report on poverty shows that a record 55% of people in poverty are from working households. The report also highlights the disproportionately high level of disabled people living in poverty and the increasingly severe effects of the housing crisis on poverty […]

Manchester needs to put Housing First to reduce homelessness

Walking around the city streets of the UK, it is impossible to miss the growing levels of homelessness. Ever more homeless people appear, asking for change or sheltering in doorways. Are they asleep, unconscious, or worse? It’s hard for passers-by to tell, and few are willing to check. It is often the most vulnerable people […]