Christian charities have welcomed Andy Burnham’s commitment to provide everyone sleeping rough across England a route off the streets before Christmas.
The Prime Minister visited Christian-rooted homelessness charity The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Monday, before hosting a summit on the issue with charities, businesses and local leaders.
Downing Street has said more than 100 church leaders and leaders of faith-inspired homelessness and housing organisations are mobilising to help reach the target and prevent rough sleeping in the long-term, as part of The Faith and Homelessness Collective.
Jon Kuhrt, CEO of Hope Into Action which equips the Church to tackle homelessness, told Premier Christian News that he welcomed the Prime Minister’s “ambitious” target but the government had to be “realistic about the time it takes to have an impact in such a complex area”.
“You can have all the millions [of pounds] in the world, but if the people themselves don’t have the trust or the connection or the belief in the system, or the relationship to actually come in, then it's not going to work. This is the real challenge. These are ingrained, deep problems and this is why the Church has such an important role to play.
“It’s not just a case of resources, it’s about relationships, trust, faith, people actually rediscovering belief in themselves. That's hard work, and it can’t just be contracted out.
“I find the grace and truth of Jesus to be one of the best compass points for all of this. That’s how we can show grace to people on the margins, bring them in, but also be focused on the truthfulness about the underlying issues that need to be addressed if we're to really make a long-term change,” he added.
Jennifer Garibay, missionary with London City Mission, told Premier that churches are a vital source of community, hope and growing disciples.
“We often see men and women who are experiencing homelessness offered accommodation, but then choose to leave because they are housed away from friends and community," she said. "For me, what I really see is that the opposite of homelessness is not having a house; it’s having a community, and it’s having a friendship and people around you who can love and support you well. The church is really primed to be that for people, it’s an inbuilt community where we can welcome people in.”
The Salvation Army has also supported the government’s efforts with its housing association, developing social housing and provisions for people with complex needs who may struggle with mainstream accommodation.
Colonel Howard Russell, chief secretary of the Church and charity in the UK and Ireland, said: “We share the Prime Minister’s ambition to ensure no one is left sleeping on the streets this Christmas. We stand ready to work with national and local government and other partners on this shared endeavour, not only to provide emergency accommodation and immediate support, but also long-term to prevent homelessness and increase the availability of suitable accommodation.
“This commitment builds on our existing year-round support across England for thousands of people sleeping rough with practical help such as food, clothing, washing facilities, and accommodation, ranging from emergency beds during extreme weather to long-term supported housing. Making sure everyone has somewhere safe and secure to sleep this Christmas is a vital first step, but giving everyone living on the streets a route out of homelessness will require sustained effort. We hope this momentum can help drive the long-term action and lasting change needed to end the rough sleeping crisis that is blighting so many lives.”
Funding to tackle homelessness is expected to double in the budget this week, with an extra £432m to sustain efforts beyond the winter and to the end of the parliament.
Burnham made the pledge to end rough sleeping on his first day as Prime Minister, which he began by visiting a Catholic-founded charity in the morning.