Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Official counts grotesquely underestimate numbers

July 10 2009
Real numbers are 10 times higher, claims Simon Community The number of people sleeping rough in England is being "grossly underestimated" by the government, with the real figure closer to 10 times that given in statistics, the Simon Community [London] has claimed. Official figures say there are just 484 people on the streets across the whole country, but the charity's most recent research suggests the real number is "at least" 10 times this because of the government's "flawed" head count system. The group has long argued against the government's methodology for counting rough sleepers, as it includes only people who are asleep and on the Pavement: those sitting in doorways, benches or parks are ignored. Another glitch in the compiling of official figures comes when councils that count up to 10 rough sleepers on a street ignore their figures and round them down to zero. In London alone, a recent head count carried out by the charity in just eight of the capital's 33 boroughs found 212 homeless people bedded down for the night - almost half of the government's figure for the whole country. Simon Community manager Jo Nurse said: "The real homelessness figure could be at least 10 times higher than the government claims. Their tools for measurement are ineffective, as many homeless people are not physically asleep and on The Pavement. They could be bedded down in car parks, disused buildings or parks. "The head count we carry out is only a snapshot of one night in a city that is awash with money, while some people are sleeping on bits of cardboard in doorways." The charity claimed this high number of people slept rough despite "sub-human" policies such as Operation Poncho, which are expected to become more vigorous in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. Ms Nurse said: "Draconian tactics such as hosing people with water to wake them up and make them move on achieve nothing. And with the credit crunch, the number of rough sleepers is only going to increase because of repossessions. "There are not enough hostel spaces available as it is, and those that are, are mostly only by referral. We need to have some compassion. These are people, human beings who need to be helped, not forced away." She added: "A lot of homeless people have complex, deep-rooted problems. It's not as simple as just telling them to get a job. But the government needs to get its figures right in the first place." Official figures were also blasted last month by a Winchester-based housing group, which claimed at least 50 people were sleeping rough on the city's streets. The last official head count for the historic Hampshire city suggested there were just four homeless people, out of a population of 40,000. Alan Weeks, of the local resident's association, told councillors that the number was more than 10 times this. "There are hidden away at least 50 rough sleepers who are completely destitute and in many cases are depressed and in need of medical attention," he said. A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "Counts provide an effective tool by which we can monitor and demonstrate progress in reducing rough sleeping levels. "The count methodology has always been robust as independent evaluations have proved on numerous occasions, but our strategy will go further to make our monitoring of rough sleepers even more comprehensive by introducing in depth Street Needs Audits, which will identify individuals, their profile and time spent sleeping rough, whether they have an active action plan and which is the lead agency responsible for them." Official figures show that lenders seized 40,000 homes last year, compared with 25,900 in the previous 12 months.
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