Co-Chairs Respond to National Plan to End Homelessness

As Co-Chair and Co-Chairman of the APPG for Ending Homelessness we welcome the long awaited publication of a cross-government strategy to end homelessness, but with 300,000 households experiencing homelessness last year the clock is ticking to deliver.

Our APPG worked closely with people with lived experience and the sector to consider what needed to be in this strategy in our report; Homes, Support, Prevention – Our Foundations for Ending Homelessness. In light of that work our view is that while this strategy is a welcome framework there is further to go to ensure it delivers on its laudable aims.

Clear targets on halving long-term rough sleeping, ending the illegal use of B&Bs as long-term housing for families, preventing more people from becoming homeless from public institutions, including by halving homelessness on release from prisons and ending homelessness on discharge from hospitals, as well as requirements for Councils to engage local people to design inclusive services, all reflect our recommendations and are deeply welcome.

To help achieve this the strategy provides consolidated and multiannual funding, which is a long-standing ask of the sector, alongside the additional £124 million for supported housing.

To bring Government together it also provides for the creation of a Duty to Collaborate, a legal duty for public bodies to work together to prevent homelessness that will be enshrined in legislation. This is welcome, builds upon previous prevention legislation, and should start to break down silos to ending homelessness across Government.

However, to end homelessness for everyone, all Departments need to play a full role. For example, we heard how actions by the Home Office put refugees at a high risk of homelessness.

In the short-term there is also a lack of action on making homes more affordable. The 300,000 social homes provided for in the Social and Affordable Housing Plan, is around a third of what the sector thinks is needed. And without action from the Department for Work and Pensions on frozen Local Housing Allowance rates, households will continue to be pushed into homelessness due to unaffordable rents in the meantime.

Finally, while the target to halve long-term rough sleeping is welcome it is disappointing to see that there is no specific funding for a national roll out of Housing First. This is proven to work for people with multiple needs. Recent MHCLG pilots provided with this service saw 92% living in a stable home after one year and it was repeatedly raised in the evidence we gathered as best practice. Therefore, it needs to be rolled out nationally to give us the best chance of success.

Inaction on these points risks turning this strategy into an exercise in managing homelessness rather than ending it. It is welcome that the Minister has got this strategy over the line, but to turn the tide on homelessness it must be the start not the end of the process. We look forward to working with the sector and the Minister on implementing this important strategy.