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How to work with the new government on homelessness
The sector can work constructively with the new government, argues Hightown chief executive David Bogle. The key will be showing how we can help them to reduce rough sleeping and homelessness
We have a new year and a new government, but a great deal of uncertainty for the housing sector – not least about Brexit, fire safety and climate change (to name but three).
Housing did not figure hugely in the general election campaign and those parties promising to deliver the billions needed to build 100,000 or so homes for social rent each year were unsuccessful.
But, amid the despondency and uncertainty, there is one positive sign which is that the new government does seem to be determined to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. Recent ministerial and prime ministerial visits to homelessness charities and projects and government announcements have confirmed this.
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And this is an opportunity for the housing sector to respond.
The growing number of people sleeping rough and the increasing number of children and families living in temporary accommodation is just appalling and, simply put, many charitable housing associations were formed for the purpose of housing people without homes.
“We can build the homes for rent that homeless people need – the more grant you give us the more we can build and the lower the rent levels”
Our housing association ‘offer’ to the new government needs to be framed along the following lines:
- We can build the homes for rent that homeless people need – the more grant you give us the more we can build and the lower the rent levels.
- We can support people to put their lives back together, to cope with mental illness, to overcome addiction, to access training and employment – we have hundreds of supported housing projects already which we can extend with additional funding.
- We are up for the roll-out of Housing First and can provide the homes and support needed to make it work.
- We want to work with our local authority partners, health, social care and police to develop local homelessness strategies and initiatives which help them to deliver their statutory duties.
But the Homes for Cathy group has highlighted some areas where housing associations need to review their own policies and practices to improve their contribution to ending homelessness. These include:
- Measuring the effect of our work on homelessness (not just our financial metrics) – how many homeless households do we house each year?
- Reducing evictions and trying to ensure that no one is evicted into homelessness
- Increasing our pre-tenancy and tenancy sustainment support for people housed out of homelessness
- Being flexible with allocation and eligibility policies
As a sector, we may not be getting everything we hoped for from a new government, but there does seem to be a real opportunity to work constructively with them to try to end homelessness.
We do need capital and revenue funding from the government to make a real impact but, in return, we must be prepared to review our own practices.
We owe it to the thousands of homeless families and rough sleepers to seize this opportunity.
David Bogle, chief executive, Hightown Housing Association
Homes for Cathy Annual Conference
Inside Housing is pleased to join forces with Homes for Cathy to deliver the third edition of the Homes for Cathy Annual Conference, taking place on 23 March 2020 at the Congress Centre, London.
Supported by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Crisis, the conference will unite leaders and practitioners from housing associations, local authorities and charities to share real examples of the work being done to end homelessness. The event provides a platform for informed debate and discussion, examination and exploration around the good practices being used in the sector.
Homes for Cathy is a group of housing associations that were formed in the Cathy Come Home era. They came together in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Cathy Come Home and to highlight the continuing needs of homeless people.
The Homes for Cathy group has been organising a range of local and national events over the past three years, with the aim of raising awareness of the needs of homeless people and working on strategies to end homelessness.
All surplus from the conference will go to the Homes for Cathy group to support its work bringing together housing associations, homelessness charities and local authorities to end homelessness.
