Homeless rates in Bristol continue to fall despite Covid pandemic
The number of people sleeping rough in Bristol is continuing to fall despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The official count which took place in November 2021 found there were 50 homeless people in Bristol - down from 98 at the same time the previous year.
Since then, the number of rough sleepers has fallen again - with now 21 people across the city.
Since the start of the pandemic, Bristol City Council said it has helped around 1,400 people rough sleeping or homeless to move into emergency accommodation.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: "We were given an opportunity to house more people than we usually would be able to, and we were able to engage with people and find them the help and support they need to move on to the next stage of their lives.
"The pandemic has fast-tracked our ambitions to end rough sleeping in the city and we remain committed to securing suitable, affordable move-on accommodation to avoid seeing people return to rough sleeping.
Marvin Rees is now calling on the government to make more support available for the council to support those who are homeless or rough sleeping.
One councillor said without government support "there will be rough sleepers returning to our streets from 1 April."
Councillor Helen Godwin, Cabinet Member for Women, Children and Homes, explained: "We have received funding from the government throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, including money through the Protect Programme, which allows us to target those who are clinically vulnerable, but these funds have not covered the full costs of Everyone In in Bristol."
Mr Rees believes the only long-term solution to combat people living in temporary accommodation is to build more affordable housing.
He said: "We are anticipating higher levels of homelessness when the impacts of the pandemic hit home for many people.
"We know that we need to reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation, and the only long-term solution to this problem is to build more affordable housing.
"This is something we continue to focus on as we develop and progress our own council house programme, and support partners to build more affordable homes across the city.
There are currently more than 1,000 people placed in temporary accommodation in the city, a figure that is growing every week.
The council is reminding people to contact them if you, a friend or family member might be at risk of homelessness.
Read more: