Rough Sleeper Numbers Decrease

31 January 2019, 17:40 | Updated: 31 January 2019, 17:43

Seven of Greater Manchester's ten boroughs have seen the number of rough sleepers decline.

Overall, the number of people rough sleeping in the city-region has dropped by 19 per cent.

The best result is in Salford where rough sleeper numbers dropped from 49 to 17 in a year. Bolton and Bury also saw a decrease while the numbers in Oldham stayed the same.

However, it's a different story for Manchester where 123 rough sleepers were counted last November; 29 more than last year. 

Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham, who has pledged to end the need for rough sleeping by 2020 has said "Tackling rough sleeping in Greater Manchester remains a huge challenge- our approach can always improve but I am confident that for the first time in a long time real progress is being made. We are helping people turn their lives around and in many cases saving them."

The Mayor's campaign 'A Bed Every Night' has helped 1,236 people into safe, warm and supported accommodation. The scheme is being run across Greater Manchester. He told Heart the reason behind the increase in rough sleeping in Manchester is likely to be the roll-out of Universal Credit in the city last year.