THE man who made it his mission to eradicate homelessness in the region by 2020 has told of the ‘pain and scars’ he sees on a daily basis.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has already admitted that the problem is much bigger than he anticipated, but he is determined to carry on the cause.

As highlighted by The Bolton News earlier this week, one of the reasons people found themselves homeless was when they shared a house with a person who is the tenancy holder and they had died, leaving them with no claim on the property.

Mr Burnham and our report also highlighted the issue of people leaving prison and being faced with little alternative other than sleeping rough. Both of these are issues Mr Burnham’s office is trying to address with the relevant authorities.

His A Bed Every Night campaign is helping and homeless people are starting to notice a difference, with 180 rough sleepers taking up a place last weekend and 113 have moved on to fixed accommodation.

Mr Burnham is right that councils such as Bolton are being pulled in every directions with demands for services while having to cut costs.

But as well as those who want and need help, there are some who refuse to co-operate with councils and say they struggle to deal with contracts and tenancy agreements.

Rough sleeping is becoming a major problem and one that is not going away.