Why are so many people sleeping rough in Britain?

The Briefing Room - A podcast by BBC Radio 4 - Thursdays

New figures show a slight decline in people sleeping rough in England. But since 2010 the trend has been upwards. Why? And what can be done about it?David Aaronovitch talks to guests about the drivers that lead people to sleep rough, and how the UK is dealing with the problem now. GUESTSRisha Lancaster - Co-Founder of Coffee4Craig in Manchester and a volunteer at a night shelter Michael Buchanan - BBC Social Affairs Correspondent Louise Casey - Head of the government's Rough Sleepers Unit from 1999 - 2003 Nicholas Pleace - Director of Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York Jon Sparks - CEO of homeless charity, Crisis