SIR — Helen Jones (Chronicle letters, May 14) rightly draws our attention to the untimely death of a young man who was recently found in public toilets in Winchester.

Any death of this nature is a tragedy, however, I feel obliged to point out that Winchester does not “have a lot of homeless people” as stated in the letter.

The council has, over the years, made significant investment in the provision of support and accommodation for homeless households.

Currently, the Supporting People programme invests over £2 million a year in homelessness services in the Winchester district.

Additionally, the council works with key voluntary agencies such as the CAB, Trinity Centre and the Nightshelter to provide advice and accommodation to people threatened with homelessness.

The combination of these measures means that Winchester has some of the lowest homelessness acceptance levels in the South East.

Whatever the reasons behind the young man’s death, the city council has, and will, continue to provide the highest levels of support to homeless households.

Cllr Tony Coates, Portfolio Holder for Housing.

Winchester City Council.