1,313 homeless people died in 2022, according to the Museum of Homelessness. 85% were under 65. In 2017, when I was working with my university's homelessness campaign, my friend Vikki Cope, who was a rough sleeper and a poet, died. Today, the reality is that homeless people are still dying on our streets. 

The government's 'Everyone In' scheme during the first lockdown saved hundreds of lives, and prevented as many as 20,000 infections among the homeless, a study found. 

With the cold weather and wintry conditions now creating additional challenges for rough sleepers, the government needs to act urgently and commit to getting everyone in again — before it's too late. 

We're calling on the government to:

• Reinstate a fully funded version of the 'Everyone In' scheme, making it a duty of care for local councils to house anyone experiencing homelessness
• Abolish the requirement to prove 'priority need' to be eligible for housing support
• Abolish the classification 'intentionally homeless'
• Increase housing benefit to cover affordable rents
• Commit to building more affordable social housing urgently

Please sign and share — your signature could save lives. 

*This petition was initially created on the government's website but was rejected, with the government responding that it was providing enough homeless provision.