SIR – I have stopped to speak to rough sleepers in the city.

There are many reasons for people becoming homeless.

You cannot make generalisations as it seems many ‘respectable’ folk prefer to.

Suffice it to say that losing your home can happen to anyone given the ‘right’ circumstances.

One reason is that under section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act private landlords in the buy to let sector can evict tenants without grounds.

In most cases where this occurs, landlords evict so that they can increase rents or cash in on rising house prices.

Buy to let was enthusiastically embraced Blair and Brown and continued under Cameron and May.

Neither New Labour nor the Conservatives were prepared to remove the shackles on local councils that prevented them from building social housing.

Builders just want to profit from their land banks and are not interested in building so-called affordable housing.

The Tories’ help to buy scheme has just poured more fuel on the fire.

Another reason is losing a room or flat attached to your job when you are made redundant.

What appalled me most of all about rough sleeping is the absence of even the most basic needs of a civilised human being, like somewhere to wash, an address to use for mail, shelter in the wet and cold and security for their belongings.

In other words, for those seeking to restore normal life, mostly young men, respect.

New Labour stands condemned for their failures on social housing. The Tories will do anything to avoid council house building for ideological reasons.

It is a scandal. Where is the humanity in our politicians?

Peter Nielsen

Worcester