During the pandemic the government housed rough sleepers and gave them tailored support, until it came to an abrupt end
On 19 December 2018, Gyula Remes collapsed on parliament’s doorstep after having slept rough around Westminster for months. The Hungarian national died just over the river from the Palace of Westminster at St Thomas’s hospital, after collapsing in Westminster tube station, in the tunnels that MPs walk through to their offices. He was 43. Politicians were quick to express their outrage. Labour MP David Lammy tweeted: “There is something rotten in Westminster when MPs walk past dying homeless people on the way into work.”
Yet four years on, nothing has changed. And it looks as if things are going to get far worse in future. Yesterday, the Office for National Statistics revealed that an estimated 741 homeless people died in England and Wales in 2021 – an increase of 54% since records began in 2013. Meanwhile, the figures in Scotland are even bleaker. There were 222 homeless deaths identified, although the real figure is estimated to be 250; roughly five homeless deaths a week.
Daniel Lavelle writes on mental health, homelessness and social care
Simon Hattenstone is a features writer for the Guardian
