Charity Emmaus offering rooms for the homeless as Government announce seven people sleeping rough in Burnley

Seven people sleep rough on a single night in Burnley, according to data by Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This is up from four in the previous year and is the fifth highest out of all 14 boroughs under Lancashire County Council.

Figures include people sleeping in temporary dwellings and makeshift shelters.

Charity, Emmaus Burnley, provides rooms to people on streets, sofa surfing or living in temporary accommodation.

Stephen Buchanan, Director of Emmaus Burnley, said: “These figures are totally unacceptable; one person rough sleeping is one too many. While we understand money has been announced today by central government to help local councils tackle homelessness, this is too little too late, and there is no mention of support for charities filling the gaps. This is why Emmaus UK has joined 36 other leading homelessness charities in an open letter this week to call on the Chancellor to urgently address the dire financial situation facing homelessness services.

“People coming to Emmaus for support are often among the ‘hidden homeless’. That is, people who go unseen and might not have been counted in this snapshot: people forced to sleep in vehicles, spend the night in public toilets, stay with friends or in empty buildings. When we are looking at the numbers of these people, taking in all forms of homelessness, the true figure of homelessness in this town is much higher.”

Emmaus provides a home, companionship, stability, personal support and an opportunity to progress for formerly homeless people. Everyone supported by the charity lives together and participates in the smooth running of the community and social enterprise, which involves reusing unwanted goods and selling new ones in its charity shop.

“After a lot of hard work across Emmaus in Lancashire, several people recently reached the last step in their support programmes and have now moved into employment and their own homes. So, places are currently available for people who need help moving on from homelessness.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by homelessness or is at risk, please head to emmaus.org.uk/burnley/ or contact StreetLink which can link to the nearest outreach service.