'Housing first' is the only way we can turn around devastated lives

ROUGH sleeping and drug addiction are devastating lives here in Stoke-on-Trent.

- Allison Gardner - MP for Stoke-on-Trent South

Every day, my constituents see it first-hand: people trapped on the streets, struggling with substances like monkey dust, left without hope or stability.

We cannot keep repeating the same failed approaches.

It hasn't worked, and it won't work, if we continue down the same path.

Drug reclassification seems a simple solution, and looks good for a politician's leaflet, but it makes the problem worse, not better.

Reclassification pushes the prices of drugs such as monkey dust up. This does not stop people from using it - they respond by either switching to other serious drugs or resorting to crimes such as burglary to pay for their habit.

This works for no one and creates more victims.

Drug reclassification does not deter dealers. Often, they are already dealing in class A drugs and so it makes no difference to them.

Whilst tackling the supply is indeed important, the most effective way to tackle rough sleeping, homelessness and addiction is by addressing the demand.

We need to help the people turning to drugs and break them out of the cycle of addiction and homelessness. Fortunately, there is a proven solution to this.

It's time for Stoke-on-Trent to properly adopt the Housing First model again - a model rooted in evidence, not political ideology, and one that puts people before point-scoring.