Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to bring people who are sleeping rough in England into temporary accommodation for Christmas. While this is a good move, and should be happening across the rest of the UK, more needs to be done quickly to help people who are homeless.

Winter is a dangerous time for people to be living on the streets. So while it’s not perfect, Burnham’s plan, backed by a £442 million funding boost, may save lives.

I work with people experiencing homelessness and using associated services to find ways of helping. People who are homeless in the UK frequently tell me that this was not a choice they made. It happened because it was a safer option than the places they lived in.

But being homeless means they often have as many health problems as people 40 years older than them. Cold weather makes lots of their problems – things like breathing conditions, for example – worse. Danny, a homeless man, told me:

We have very bad health. At an average age of 43, most of us have eight different chronic health problems. These include physical problems like breathing difficulties, leg ulcers and chronic pain from injuries like broken bones. Mental health problems are also very common, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. On top of that most people who are homeless use drugs or alcohol to cope.

We have very bad health. At an average age of 43, most of us have eight........

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