London (Parliament News) – Mayor Sadiq Khan pledges to eliminate rough sleeping by 2030 if re-elected, aiming to end the suffering and isolation experienced by those on the streets.
Sadiq Khan has promised to wipe out rough sleeping in London by 2030 if he is re-elected as London mayor. In an address on Monday, the Labour incumbent vowed to end the “indignity, anxiety and isolation” felt by those bearing a life on the street.
According to BBC, a record number of people are rough-napping in London, recent data exhibits. Tory candidate Susan Hall engraved it as “another promise that Sadiq Khan will fail to deliver”. The Lib Dems slammed “shameful” levels of homelessness.
The Green Party expressed the £10m promise as “a drop in the ocean” and expressed the east London borough of Newham alone demands £32m to end homelessness. The charity Centrepoint, which campaigns to terminate youth homelessness, stated any new money would be welcome but “the reality is the mayor and other local authorities can only do so much.”
What Record Number of Rough Sleepers Exists?
Mr Khan argues it would be City Hall’s biggest single intervention to contain rough sleeping on record and would support an expanded network of “ending homelessness hubs” under the projects. The hubs are designed to enable an extra 1,700 rough sleepers every year with quick reassessment and rehousing.
In his address, Mr Khan stated it was time “to reject the notion that homelessness is some natural, stubborn element of modern life that we have no choice but to abide”. He represented this election as an opportunity to “criticise the scandal of rough sleeping to history, not just for a short time but for all time”.Â
How Will Khan’s Plan Impact London’s Homeless?
Susan Hall stated: “Sadiq Khan has only started building 4% of the affordable homes he promised in the latest programme and it is his failure that has kept people stuck in temporary accommodation and made it harder to get rough sleepers off the streets.
“We cannot solve homelessness without solving the housing crisis, which is why I have pledged to build more family homes Londoners can afford.”
Dr Tom Kerridge, Centrepoint’s policy and research manager, declared: “In London alone, Centrepoint calculates the shortfall in funding to support young people confronting homelessness to run to dozens of millions of pounds.”
“Rough sleeping rightly causes the most coverage, but the level of homelessness more widely is both a genuine scandal and deeply-rooted political situation that can’t be solved by piecemeal pots of money.
“Instead, what is needed, is a cross-governmental strategy in Westminster that’s reinforced by a long-term funding commitment.”
What Strategies Do Other Candidates Propose?
Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Rob Blackie stated: “The mayor has skipped his housing targets almost every year since he has been elected. “I will build much more by making it more straightforward to build, and establishing a London Development Company to rev housebuilding.”
Zoë Garbett, the Green Party’s candidate stated: “London is going to require a big change in government policy to support people experiencing homelessness. “It’s all well and good emphasising the Conservative candidate’s record of sustaining the devastating cuts but nationally Labour have repeatedly declined to commit to reversing the cuts and have dedicated themselves to the same catastrophic economic policy of the current government.”