Does charity begin with a home? A blog by Lee Sugden, chief executive

As the headlines continue their obsession with Brexit and Trump, I was reminded of issues much closer to home when I was informed that another homeless man had died on the streets of Salford. He was 40.

This is the second death in as many weeks, and as winter bites the stark reality of freezing cold nights plays out in the plight of the most needy and vulnerable in our society.

40 years of age is actually approaching the average age for someone living on the streets. The average life expectancy of a man is 47. Women fare worse still and can expect to reach their 43rd year before the challenges of sleeping rough takes its ultimate toll. People living on the streets can expect to live 30 years less than average.

It is nothing short of abhorrent that the sixth largest economy in the world, a country that considers itself to be leading the world in showing compassion for those in need, stands by and finds it acceptable that we allow this to go on around us.

We all walk past tents, sleeping bags or cardboard shelters on a regular basis but how many of us can say we are doing all we can to show our personal compassion and care for those who find themselves in these circumstances?

Last year, I had the privilege of meeting those who were sleeping rough in Salford. Sadly the numbers have been increasing annually and this year we saw 26 people sleeping rough with many more on a church floor.

Of the people I met three had died within two months of me meeting them. I cannot express the complete humility I experienced being invited into someone’s home at 3am, when that home (complete with carpet, mirror and washbasin) is a makeshift shelter under a bridge, then the utter desperation to hear that that shelter ended up as their final resting place.

Housing associations need to step up to the mark. In 2015, homelessness charity Crisis* reported homeless placements in temporary accommodation is increasing, with the overall national total rising by 6% in 2013/14; up by 24% since its low point three years earlier. In Salford we have seen this same fourfold increase in the use of temporary accommodation.

The bulk of such placements are in self-contained housing, with far too many of the most vulnerable ending up in private temporary housing, fuelling Range Rovers or corporate bottom lines.

Many housing associations are charities and who is in more need of charity than those with nothing?

At Salix Homes we are working hard to do more. We are currently redeveloping over 80 homes that will be suitable for single young people and trailing a pilot of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) to see if we can make this work. Plus we’re also seriously looking at providing some temporary homeless accommodation in Salford.

I am convinced we can provide better, cheaper and a more supportive environment to help those in most need. It is a start, but it is not enough. I hope we can build on what we do and work with colleagues in Greater Manchester to build something sustainable for the future.

The new Homelessness Reduction Bill will increase the need for safe, secure spaces to help those in their time of most need. Now is the time for all housing associations to have a focus on this all too visible side of the housing economy, often hidden in the national headlines.

As a sector we cannot stand back and allow society to walk on by anymore. We cannot allow the well-being of those in most desperate need to rely on charitable donations for their basic needs.

Housing associations must do something to make a difference.

Lee Sugden, Salix Homes chief executive

*Report from Homelessness Monitor 2015 (Crisis). http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/Homelessness_Monitor_England_2015_final_web.pdf