'Staggering increase' in the number of deaths of homeless people
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The pandemic has affected most people from all walks of life in some way. The Action on Addiction charity says it saw an 86% rise in the number of people seeking help this January compared with last year. Whilst many charities work tirelessly to help those in need of support, unfortunately, the issue of drug use and the possible consequences of drugs paraphernalia need to be considered by any organisation managing housing stock or working in the community.
It has been reported that nationally some 976 people died whilst homeless in the UK during 2020. This is a rise of 37% from the previous year. However, coronavirus accounted for just 3% of these, whilst 36% are attributed to substance misuse, and 15% attributed to suicide.
The Government launched the "Everyone In" scheme at the start of the pandemic. However, a spokesperson for the charity "Museum of Homelessness" said,"A hotel or hostel room is no substitute for a safe home". The government touts "Everyone In" as a runaway success. But it didn’t stop a staggering increase in the number of people dying while homeless– despite the best efforts of our colleagues around the country who worked 24 hours a day on emergency response.”
Ref: Yorkshire post 22nd February 2021
References
Original article: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/stag...