UK charities urge govt to find shelter for homeless amid coronavirus crisis

Amid the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus, thousands of homeless people in the UK have reportedly not been allotted houses despite the repeated request to the British government by the local authorities to find housing. The campaigners for the homeless people in Britain are still worried about their accommodation even after the government’s announcement of protecting the homeless. The Britsih Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the local councils in the UK to allocate houses for the rough sleepers. 

However, the activists are worried that amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the government’s much-applauded plan has not been executed successfully. The Head of Policy and Campaigns at Crisis UK, Hannah Gousy reportedly told an international media outlet that even though the activists currently lack the exact figures, but as of March 27 apparently 4,200 people got accommodation. Even though the number might have increased over the weekend, all people who require self-contained accommodation has not yet received it. Moreover, as of April 3, Britain has recorded 33,718 confirmed cases of coronavirus with at least 2,921 fatalities.

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Charities write to UK government

According to an official press release dated April 3 by Crisis UK, they along with six other UK charities including Homeless Link and The Passage have written to the British government in a bid to persuade the authorities to remove the ‘remaining barriers’ that are still preventing certain rough sleepers to get housing as “too many people” still remain on streets. 

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “We commend the government’s swift action to protect people most at risk by ensuring they have somewhere safe to stay during the pandemic. 

He added, “But the stark fact remains that there are people whose lives are still in danger, sleeping on our streets or trapped in crowded hostels and night shelters. To fulfil the ambition of getting ‘everyone in’ we must see the final barriers stopping people from getting the help they need removed.”

The coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 53,238 lives worldwide as of April 3. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 204 countries and has infected at least 1,016,395 people. Out of the total infections, 213,133 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries and the economy is struggling. 

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