THE OXFORD PAPER Thursday, November 30, 2017 No.68
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‘NOBODY should be sleeping rough on the streets of Oxford’ is the message from a new group that will be set up to tackle the city’s growing problem of homelessness. A city-wide symposium brought together members of local government, homelessness charities and those who have experienced rough sleeping, to work on a joined-up approach. It is hoped a Rough Sleeping Charter for Oxford can be agreed by April
2018, with a budget of £25,000 to help it along. This comes as official street count figures released this month suggest the number of rough sleepers on any given night is estimated to be almost double what it was last year, with the number rising from 47 in 2016 to as many as 89. On the night of the count, 61 people were found to be sleeping rough, up from 33 in 2016. Speaking after the event, Joanna Brown, from social enterprise charity Aspire Oxford, said she had
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experienced homelessness in her past. She said: “The aim is to look at the reasons why, what isn’t working at the moment, as well as raise awareness and improve social consciousness on the issue which is only getting worse year on year.” Councillor Bob Price, leader of Oxford City Council, said: “The street count shows the devastating impact of the housing crisis on the streets of our city. “This is a crisis that needs action from central government, including building many more affordable homes.”
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Speaking after the all-day event at Town Hall on Tuesday, he said he hopes a joined-up approach between local bodies will help attract funding from central government. He added: “This is a matter of life and death. Life expectancy actually drops to 47 for men who are rough sleeping and 43 for women.” The aim of the new steering group, which will be co-chaired by someone who has experienced rough sleeping, will also involve businesses, universities and individual colleges, as well as students and the community.
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Other measures discussed include the use of sports pavilions as shelter for homeless people. Claire Dowan, chief executive of Homeless Oxfordshire, said: “It’s not just down to the council to look at solutions. “We have a 56-bed hostel that provides not only overnight accommodation but sometimes hosts people for months. “We also have over 150 beds in 28 properties in Oxford and Abingdon. So part of this is for people to know what services are available to them.”
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