Around 14 homeless people thought to have died in Norfolk last year
It's a slight fall on 2019's figures but far above numbers recorded between 2013 and 2015.
14 homeless people are estimated to have died in Norfolk last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
It's a slight fall on 2019's figures, but far above numbers recorded between 2013 and 2015.
Dr Jan Sheldon is the chief executive of St. Martin's. A Housing charity based in Norwich.
She told us that future figures need to be examined closely after an abnormal year: "We had the 'Everybody In' initiative, that really did help get everybody in, in a very short space of time. Therefore the figures that we are seeing in 2020, aren't typical and so we need to monitor all this going forwards to see whether the reduction we are seeing is a trend or a fluke".
She went on to say that much work is needed to drive figures down: "We still have a high level of deaths on the streets related to drug and alcohol poisoning, that's no acceptable. All this shows to me is that we don't have the right measures and support for people. We also have inadequate mental health supply and support, so we need to readdress that as well."
She concluded by saying that we need to change the way we perceive and talk about homeless people: "They shouldn't be grouped together as 'The Homeless' or 'The Rough-Sleepers'. None of that is acceptable, they are all individuals with their own hopes, fears and aspirations and it could be just one traumatic life experience that has led to them being on the streets. That life experience may have been something that they didn't have any control over.
"I think the fact that we can talk about there only being 668 deaths on the streets shows that it isn't taken seriously. One death on the street is too many and I think if people come out with remarks like 'well it's their fault' and 'they brought it on themselves', it makes it far easier for them to turn a blind eye."