Homelessness down 11% on previous quarter
The quarterly Statutory Homelessness and Homelessness Prevention Relief figures were released today (Thursday 22nd March). The figures show that the number of people statutorily homeless is down 11% on the previous quarter.
Ross Gilbert, managing director at QED Sustainable Urban Developments said: “Homelessness is a huge issue in England and it is great to see that the figures have decreased in the last quarter. However, there are still over 13,500 people being classed as statutorily homeless in England. We need to tackle the housing crisis to continue to bring this figure down. With the appointment of Heather Wheeler MP as Minister for Housing and Homelessness I hope that she will address the problem at the heart which is building accomodation for homeless people immediately.”
This is no easy feat for the Minister, especially when she has stated she will resign if she doesn’t fulfil her pledge to meet the Conservative manifesto commitment of halving rough sleeping by 2022, and eradicating it by 2027.
Gilbert continues: “If all Councils were willing to explore the use of meanwhile developments of ready to live in accomodation made using offsite manufactured homes (OSM) built on brownfield sites – which all councils have - it would go a long way to begin addressing and potentially eradicating this issue.
“Councils like Ealing have recognised and been proactive about their housing situation and embraced looking at alternative ways to find housing. Marston Court in Acton and Meath Court in Ealing provide 94 apartments and housing for 420 people and have been created using offsite manufactured homes. The developments include communal space, onsite management offices, laundry and refuse storage and house young families and low-income individuals in need of immediate emergency accommodation.
“The developments are made up of a kit of moveable and reusable parts of UK produced shipping containers, providing an immediate solution to the short-term accommodation need.
“I hope that the Minister takes notice of the work that Ealing are doing and provides the support for other councils to do the same.”
Ross Gilbert is available for interviews on Thursday 22nd March, for further quotes and interviews please contact Sarah Colombini – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 07731 462 451.
About Ross Gilbert
Ross is managing director of QED Sustainable Urban Developments; a company focused on the transformation of brownfield sites through traditional urban regeneration and meanwhile projects. He is passionate about helping shape the future of the world’s built environment, pioneering new building techniques, whilst delivering commercially sustainable regeneration projects.
Ross balances the management of a significant investment portfolio with expanding and delivering QED’s development pipeline. His focus is not only on long-term regeneration projects, but also interim schemes that help to regenerate underutilised brownfield areas.
Ross is widely known and respected within the real estate industry for his role in championing meanwhile development as a means for kick-starting the regeneration process, proving viability of an area in a quickly deployable and economic format.
Ross has an MSc degree in Sustainability of the Built Environment, from the University of Brighton, and a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in Business Administration & Political Science from Barton College, North Carolina.
