A homeless man sadly died while out on the street in Kingston this morning (Wednesday, November 11).

One of the foremost homelessness charities in the borough, Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH), announced the news in a short statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday morning.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "In memory of one of our community who has sadly passed away on the streets this morning. #endhomelessness #dignity #EveryoneIn."

Responding to a request for comment from the Surrey Comet, KCAH CEO Matt Hatton said the charity had worked closely with the man prior to his passing:

"KCAH has worked closely with the individual who died in Kingston this morning.

"He was well known to us and we are deeply saddened by his passing," Hatton said.

"Any death on the street is tragic and we will continue to work for a system where it is avoidable," he added.

KCAH have had significant success finding accommodation and safe spaces for people experiencing homelessness in the Kingston area.

As the Surrey Comet reported previously, KCAH coordinated with Kingston Council (RBK) since March to lift dozens of people off the streets and into accommodation.

However, the government rolled back its 'Everyone In' policy introduced during the previous coronavirus lockdown that successfully helped such schemes house homeless people in empty accommodation such as hotels.

Charities are now urging the government to reintroduce the scheme.

One report published last week found that tens of thousands of people had been made homeless in the UK as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, despite a temporary ban on evictions.

According to the Office of National Statistics, in 2018 there were an estimated 726 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales, 129 (22 per cent) more deaths than in 2017 when there were 597 estimated deaths.