More than 4,000 people were sleeping rough in England in 2016. That figure is higher than it was in 2015; indeed, it’s a figure that’s been rising every year since 2010. And those are the official figures. Research by Crisis puts the real figure at 9,000—and they believe it could grow by three-quarters in the next decade.As the worst form of homelessness, rough sleeping is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s estimated that around a quarter of a million people in the UK are homeless—living in hostels or squats, cars or tents.In this week’s show, Steve Bloomfield and Stephanie Boland are joined by:Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow EastDawn Foster, Guardian columnistJuha Kaakinen, chief executive, Y-FoundationGet in touchSteve: https://twitter.com/BloomfieldSJSteph: https://twitter.com/stephaniebolandFurther readingHouse of Commons Library Briefing paper on rough sleeping: http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN02007Y-Foundation in Finland: https://ysaatio.fi/in-english/You can find Dawn Foster’s work at the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/dawn-fosterAnd here’s the piece in the New Statesmans from 2008 that Steph mentions: https://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/11/street-homelessness-end-rough