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Tackling homelessness head-on
Tackling homelessness requires a concerted and co-ordinated approach by the housing sector and government, says Terrie Alafat
Barely a day seems to go by without more evidence of the rising homelessness crisis we are facing in this country.
Perhaps this is inevitable in the run-up to Christmas – but there is nothing inevitable about the levels of suffering we are seeing right now.
History tells us that we can reduce or even eliminate homelessness, so it is quite frankly disgraceful that statutory homelessness in England has jumped by 41% since 2009 and rough sleeping has soared by 169% since 2010.
Last month, data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network showed that a record number of people are sleeping rough in London. A total of 3,103 people were found sleeping rough in the capital between July and September 2018, up 20% on the previous three months and 17% compared with the same period last year.
It’s the first time the total has exceeded 3,000 in a three-month period. Worryingly, outreach teams also recorded 1,382 people sleeping rough for the first time, up by 28% on the previous quarter and 20% compared with last year.
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Research from Centrepoint released earlier this month showed that more than half of the young people facing homelessness who approached their local council for help last year received no meaningful support.
The report found that more than 100,000 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK turned to their local authority for assistance in 2017/18 because they had nowhere to live or were under threat of homelessness.
We know what has caused this situation: a toxic combination of the chronic shortage of genuinely affordable homes and welfare reforms which have made it more and more difficult for people who receive housing benefit to access a decent home at a price they can afford.
Our research shows that more than 150,000 homes for social rent were lost between 2012 and 2017. And private renting is an increasingly unaffordable option – our analysis shows that the freeze on Local Housing Allowance means that even the lowest private rents are now out of reach for people on low incomes, putting thousands at increased risk of homelessness.
We also know how to resolve it: a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach involving more investment in homes for social rent, support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and changes to housing benefit so they keep up with the true cost of renting.
Crisis research shows how we could end homelessness in Great Britain in 10 years – at a cost of £9.9bn, delivering benefits worth £26.4bn.
The government must also ensure it is properly funding the measures we already have in place. The Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force in April, has the potential to make a big impact – in Southwark, where it has been in place since the beginning of 2017, the number of homelessness acceptances fell by 53% between January and September 2017, while cases of successful preventions and customer satisfaction have both risen.
The council has also eliminated the use of B&Bs. Southwark Council is currently using its experience to deliver training for more than 1,000 staff in councils across London, including our award-winning certificate in supporting homeless people.
“The government must also ensure it is properly funding the measures we already have in place.”
Centrepoint says the young people who received no help from their local council in England last year should now receive support under the Homelessness Reduction Act – but points out that the funding the government has allocated local authorities to carry out their new duties is not enough. Its analysis shows that half of councils will not have enough money to carry out the extra assessments, prevention work and relief work associated with young people at risk of homelessness – let alone people aged 25 and over.
We’re bringing together experts from across the sector and beyond to discuss all these issues and more at our Tackling Homelessness and Meeting Housing Need Conference next month.
Our message to the government is clear – we know what we need to do to tackle homelessness but we need the tools to achieve it.
Together we can reduce or even eliminate homelessness but it does require a co-ordinated approach, that means government investment, funding for affordable housing, reviewing the welfare system and a concerted effort across the housing and homelessness sectors.
Terrie Alafat, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
