More shelter beds and supported homes pledged in strategy to end rough sleeping
Thousands of beds in shelters and new supported living accommodation in England will be provided as part of a strategy to end rough sleeping.
Some 14,000 emergency beds for rough sleepers and 3,000 support staff roles will be funded this year as part of a three-year £500 million scheme, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said. A further 2,400 long-term supported homes for those with the most complex needs, including young people, will also be delivered by March 2025 through a £200 million accommodation programme. The plans, unveiled in a long-awaited strategy, are backed up by £2 billion in funding over the next three years, which was first announced in the spring spending review. Of this, £764 million has been allocated to go to councils and government partners.
Drug and alcohol treatment services will be expanded to 20 more areas through extra investment of up to £186.5 million in a bid to break the cycle of addiction and rough sleeping. Pilots in the West Midlands, Manchester and Liverpool, which saw people with complex needs given stable, long-term housing as a base from which their other issues can be addressed, will be extended. More prison leavers will also be helped into rental accommodation in a drive to reduce reoffending and the likelihood of ex-offenders turning to the streets. It says its previously announced £11.5 billion affordable homes programme will aim to deliver up to 180,000 new homes by 2026 “should economic conditions allow”.
The Conservative's winning 2019 election manifesto pledged to end homelessness by the end of the next parliament.
The government said it remains “steadfastly committed” to its goal of ending rough sleeping. Starting on Saturday, it will publish quarterly transparency data showing its progress.
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The strategy says the drivers of rough sleeping are often complicated and multi-faceted, with an “important” structural factor being the affordability and security of housing. Funding will aim to ensure no-one leaves a public institution, such as hospitals, prisons, the care or asylum systems, or the armed forces, for the street. The strategy says the government will “exhaust all options” to support rough sleepers who are non-UK nationals so they have a “clear pathway” off the streets – including those with restricted eligibility for public funds. Such people will be supported to resolve their immigration status so they can get their life back on track, with those here illegally supported to return to their home countries. Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “Ending rough sleeping in this parliament is an important manifesto commitment. “The full weight of government is behind this very necessary pledge and this landmark strategy will give us the right tools to identify people at risk of rough sleeping earlier and provide the help they need.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, however, called the plan a “missed opportunity”. She said: “It’s good that this strategy recognises that, fundamentally, not being able to afford anywhere to live is the main driver of homelessness. “It’s disappointing that it does next to nothing to address it. In the face of a major crisis – with people already struggling to keep the lights on and pay their rent – this plan is wholly inadequate.” Labour also hit out at the plan, with shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy saying: “Rushing out a last ditch strategy hours before leaving office is chaotic, insulting and does nothing to provide reassurance to thousands of people facing a long hard winter.” She called for a “serious, workable plan”, not “just another press release”.