15:48

The prime minister has called rough sleeping a “tragedy” at a cabinet meeting focused on tackling the growing problem.

But homelessness charities will be frustrated that there was no discussion by ministers of the policies that are behind the increase in homelessness. Many charities blame the freeze in local housing allowance and the impact of the introduction of universal credit.

In a growing number of areas housing has become unaffordable for benefits claimants, while some new recipients of universal credit find it hard to manage their money which is paid monthly in arrears. Others say delays in receiving the new benefit and administrative mistakes force people into homelessness.

The government is committed to halving the number of people sleeping rough by 2022 and ending it all together by 2027. Officially, the number in England is at a record high of 4,751, although most charities believe the number is much higher. Even on official figures, it has risen tenfold in the decade since 2008 when it was just 435.

According to Number 10, at cabinet ministers were told the new rough sleepers’ initiative, “Housing First” which will provide intensive support to street sleepers, will be piloted in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester. The chancellor, Philip Hammond announced a £28m fund for support in the budget last November.

Housing First is a scheme that has been successfully pioneered in the US. It aims to tackle the complex needs of people who have been homeless for some time. It starts from the presumption that housing is a human right.