Government Statistics Say Just Five Rough Sleepers In Lewisham
That is a drop from 22 in 2017, despite homelessness being on the rise according to Crisis.
According to government statistics, there were only five rough sleepers in Lewisham at the last spot count in 2018, despite homeless charity Crisis says that homelessness is on the rise.
There were 22 rough sleepers in the area in 2017, and 16 in 2016, compared to just five this year, all of whom were over the age of 26.
There has been a significant debate over the methods used to count rough sleepers across England, which some believe are inadequate.
Lewisham Council did not provide a comment.
Why did students cover this topic?
Hope, 15, and Meryem, 14, said that they picked this topic because “It’s an increasing issue in England. When living our daily lives, it’s one thing we notice and perhaps feel guilty about. As people from Lewisham, we have personally seen a dramatic increase in homelessness even though the government statistics show it is decreasing.”