Christmas shelters for capital's homeless

More than 1,000 people sleep rough in Britain every night

Many people living on the streets of London will have a place to stay this Christmas, thanks to homelessness charity Crisis.

The organisation is opening five shelters in the capital which will accommodate about 800 homeless people and give them access to health care in the last week of the year.

People who are sleeping rough feel their lack of family and friends more acutely at Christmas, according to Crisis chief executive Shaks Ghosh.

The initiative was launched on Friday by comedian Jack Dee, who praised the charity for its work over the past 30 years.

For many this is their only opportunity to see a doctor

Shaks Ghosh
Crisis

"As society changes, so do the causes of homelessness, but it still remains a life-destroying presence," he said.

Demand for health care at the Crisis centres increased by one-fifth last year, with many of those attending suffering from tuberculosis or diabetes.

Mr Ghosh said: "For many this is their only opportunity to see a doctor, have a dentist look at their teeth and use a range of medical services."

The London Crisis centres are part of a national network of shelters funded by Crisis.

The main Christmas shelter will be in Clapham, south London, and all five will be open for eight days.

Tories have blamed Tony Blair's Labour government for "massive increases" in homelessness.

Comedian Jack Dee launched the initiative

On Friday, Conservative housing spokesman Nigel Waterson claimed there were now 3,000 more people living on the streets and in priority need than in 1997.

He said: "Before the election, Tony Blair promised Labour would 'end the scandal of homelessness'.

"Far from tackling homelessness, he has presided over massive increases."

But cabinet Office Minister Ian McCartney has dismissed the Tory figures as "grossly misleading".

He said they related to people accepted as homeless by local councils which were under government pressure to house more of the homeless.

He claimed that the government's Rough Sleepers Unit had cut the number living on the streets by a third.