MPs have been urged to reform homelessness legislation, requiring all local authorities in England to take action to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place.
In a letter to a national newspaper, a group of housing charities have claimed failing to intervene early made people’s problems more costly.
The chief executives of Crisis, the National Housing Federation (NHF), YMCA and St Mungo’s said it was ‘devastating to individuals and counterproductive’ that councils could turn away homeless people who were not considered a 'priority' under the law.
The number of rough sleepers has more than doubled from 1,768 to 3,569 between 2010 and 2015, according to the National Audit Office.
Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said more than 112,230 households applied to their local authority for homelessness help in 2014/15 – a 26% rise since 2009/10.
He claimed homelessness was not inevitable and that ‘we do not have to look very far to find an alternative’.
Former NHF chief executive and Local Government Association president Lord Best has backed the proposed Bill.
He said: ‘The Government has already made a commitment to consider options – including a change in the law – to prevent more people from becoming homeless while more than half of English local authorities think a change in the law similar to that in Wales would be beneficial for homeless people in England. 'MPs have a historic opportunity to ensure no one can be turned away to sleep on our streets.’