There are a record number of people sleeping rough in London, with charities reporting a spike in homelessness.
Recent figures revealed that between July and September 2018 there were over 3,000 people sleeping on the streets of the capital.
According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 440 homeless people have died on streets or in temporary accommodation in the United Kingdom last year.
The report indicates that the number of Sikh men dying on streets of London has also risen sharply.
Data obtained from the Housing Justice shows that 9 of the 170 (5.3percent) homeless people that died in London in the last one year had surname Singh.
The Salvation Army suggests that the number of deaths of Sikh men may be even higher as not many Sikhs present their surname as Singh.
The Sikh community in UK is concerned over the deaths of a disappropriate number of deaths of Sikh men experiencing homelessness.
A community campaign is now being launched to address this issue.
The Campaign Sikh Support aims to provide support to those who ‘need it the most’.
Co-founder of the campaign Mankamal Singh told The Recorder that it’s a ‘wake-up call’ for the community.
“It does not take a genius to recognise the disproportionality in these deaths,” said Mr Singh.
“The campaign aims to provide Punjabi rough sleepers access to temporary accommodation and immigration support by bringing together a number of initiatives.
The charities suggest that the deaths among Sikh men could be attributed to factors like poverty, mental health issues, drugs, suicides and visa related problems.
Census 2011 estimated the Sikh population in London is around 1.3%. However, the Sikh organisations consider it ‘sheer underestimation’ given this data is based on the optional religious question with not many ticking their names as Sikhs or Singhs.
