Jon Sparkes from Crisis writes in Friday’s Echo that we can end homelessness for good and for everyone as during the coronavirus pandemic thousands have been found accommodation.

Firstly can I say I support the work homeless charities do as without it the numbers of fatalities of vulnerable homeless people would be far greater.

Without day to day support for homeless people there would be little hope for most cases in the long term.

The current pandemic has meant that hotels have not been able to operate and many are happy to take in people from the streets knowing that there will be local authority funds available to help pay for the rooms provided.

As the kitchens are closed in the hotels the new guests are relying on food parcels and outside purchases during the lockdown. The hotel rooms provided are not permanent homes and sometime during the summer hotels will be allowed to re-open.

Most of the hotels will be looking to attract paying guests so their businesses can maximize profits.

There will be further homeless cases when furlough payments to companies finally stop and many companies overwhelmed with debt decide to call it a day, putting people out of work and some onto the streets.

I believe that there should be an end to people having to pitch down on a pavement until favour or luck gives them a chance to get back on the housing ladder, but it means we will all have to make sacrifices like freeing up spare rooms, renovating empty houses (at any one time there are around 2600 empty homes in Southampton with over 600 empty for longer than six months ), building suitable accommodation, providing more sites for the travelling community and understanding the mental health issues of so many who have been left outside for so long.

Joe Cox

Southampton