NEW figures reveal there have been more than 400 counts of rough sleeping in Cornwall over the past year with Penzance, Camborne, Newquay, Truro and St Austell being hotspot areas.
An investigation led by Advice.co.uk, which provides research and statistics on rough sleeping in the UK, obtained figures via a freedom of information request that showed Cornwall Council logged 437 counts of rough sleeping in the county in 2023/24.
Penzance has had the most rough sleeping counts with 84, Camborne came in second highest at 77, Newquay in third with 66, Truro in fourth with 54 and St Austell in fifth at 53.
The number of rough sleeping counts logged by Cornwall Council in 2021/22 stood at 326, according to Advice.co.uk
A year later, this number decreased, with the total being 114 but the past year has seen the significant rise in rough sleeping counts in the Duchy.
Advice.co.uk believes rising levels of poverty, unemployment and a lack of affordable housing have led to the number of rough sleepers increasing in the UK. It states councils are struggling to find and fund temporary accommodation following the increasing numbers of people seeking help.
A spokesperson for Advice.co.uk said: “Rough sleeping is one of the most visible types of homelessness as it includes sleeping outside or in places that aren't designed for people to live in, including cars, doorways and abandoned buildings.
“Many rough sleepers are vulnerable and struggle with complex physical and mental issues such as addiction.
“In 2018, the average age of a rough sleeper at death was just 44 years old for men and 42 years old for women.
“When support structures that prevent rough sleeping, like emergency accommodation, are unavailable, people can be forced to the streets. Once someone is forced into homelessness, these problems can become more difficult to resolve.”
Riverside, a charity providing hostel accommodation, said there had been no significant investment in hostels in England since 2011, and the number of bed spaces in England had fallen by almost a quarter between 2010 and 2022.
John Glenton, the executive director of Riverside, speaking to the Big Issue, said: “Increased investment in supported housing would provide more spaces to help get more people out of temporary accommodation into a dedicated space where they can receive the support they need.
“These services provide a route out of homelessness and help to reduce spending on very expensive, and often inadequate, temporary housing.”
The latest government statistics show 358,370 households contacted their local authority for support after being threatened with homelessness or losing their home in 2023-24, up more than 10 per cent in a year. Of these, 324,990 were assessed as homeless.
Additionally, 3,898 people were sleeping rough on a single night in Autumn 2023, this was up more than a quarter on the 3,069 people counted in 2022 and is more than double the 1,768 people on the streets in 2010.
Homelessness charities called the figures ‘shameful’ and urged the Labour government to ‘act to put an end to rough sleeping’.
Advice.co.uk offers free advice and support to people who have run into problems with their housing, which may have led to them suffering an injury. They operate a 24-hour helpline and claim online form, which you can access on their website.