Granada Cheshire

So what is it like for those people living their lives in the elements as rough sleepers? We know that attacks against them have been on the rise.

So we fitted our correspondent Matt O'Donoghue with a hidden camera to spend time in a doorway in Liverpool.

The result may be surprising, he was treated with care and compassion.

Organisations working to support homeless people say the government needs a 'joined up approach' to tackle the issue.

Some believe government policy, such as Universal Credit is forcing more people out of their homes and onto the streets.

Our political reporter Hannah Miller has been to see some people being supported and the charities who say they are being thwarted by the system, endlessly left on the line, while trying to help organise benefits.

Hannah asks the Minister for Homelessness what needs to be done to tackle the issue, long term.