Reset Homelessness: the campaign so far
Katharine Swindells speaks to Homeless Link’s Sophie Boobis to find out what the Reset Homelessness campaign has achieved to date
Katharine Swindells speaks to Homeless Link’s Sophie Boobis to find out what the Reset Homelessness campaign has achieved to date #UKhousing
In December 2024, Homeless Link and Inside Housing launched the Reset Homelessness campaign, calling for a systemic review of homelessness funding. The sector is pinning its hopes on the Spending Review, which is due to take place on 11 June.
Inside Housing spoke to Sophie Boobis, head of policy and research at Homeless Link, about the campaign’s demands and what it has achieved so far.
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Looking ahead to the Spending Review, what are you expecting to see?
We’re still in a very much unknown space. The mood music from the Treasury hasn’t been wholly positive, and we have to recognise that homelessness is part of a bigger, national government budget, so we anticipate that we perhaps won’t get everything we’re asking for.
Are you hearing anything promising?
We’re hopeful that we will see some of what we’ve been asking for come forward – we’re certainly hearing a lot around [homelessness] prevention. I think there is a growing understanding about the complexity of the funding, so I’m hopeful that we will see something around simplifying the funding structures.
Positively, one thing that has changed is that the homelessness strategy is now coming out after the Spending Review, and I think that is quite a significant change, which perhaps tells us that they are looking to align strategy to the Spending Review.
What are your key asks of the government on homelessness funding?
The main thing we’re trying to highlight is how messy the system is as it stands. We’re pushing for the need to do this systematic review and say: “You need to get a handle on it, because otherwise you’re not really going to change anything.” And then really emphasising the impact of the system as it is now, and how it’s trapped us in a crisis-driven response. It’s not insurmountable, it just requires us to take a step back, reassess and reinvest.
And when you’re talking to people in government, what are some of the main pushbacks you’re getting?
Some of it is the complexity of it and the fact that it sits over multiple government departments. What we want to see is this holistic approach that recognises that all these different government departments have a role to play, but it’s been so siloed and segmented.
The other challenge is the tension between having to move fast to do something, because it’s such a visible issue, but also the need to take a step back. The services we work with need action fast, but we can’t keep [applying] sticking plasters. We need to do some long-term thinking to get ambitious and structural change.
Do you feel that the Reset Homelessness campaign has gained traction?
The ability to platform so many voices from across the sector and shine a light on nuanced issues has been a huge achievement. That’s led to a real mobilisation of people wanting to support the campaign. We’ve had MPs who’ve then written letters or raised parliamentary questions. We were invited to speak at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ending Homelessness off the back of this campaign, to give evidence specifically on funding.
The campaign has helped us to get meetings with some of the key stakeholders in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, so it’s been great to build and maintain those connections and get that engagement in the run-up to the Spending Review.
Reset Homelessness features
Inside the economics of temporary accommodation
Although temporary accommodation now costs the taxpayer more than £2bn a year, spending on this type of housing remains largely unexamined. Inside Housing and the i newspaper joined forces to find out how the money is being used. Stephen Delahunty, Peter Apps and Vicky Spratt report on the findings
Homeless, vulnerable, but not a priority
As local authorities struggle with the mounting numbers of people turning to them for homelessness help, many are being deemed ‘not priority need’, and left to fend for themselves. Katharine Swindells investigates
Reset Homelessness: ‘The system cannot continue as it is’
Inside Housing and Homeless Link’s new campaign, Reset Homelessness, calls for a systemic review of homelessness funding in England. But how has spending on the homelessness crisis gone so wrong? Jess McCabe reports
How to shift from crisis management to preventing homelessness
When you are in the middle of a crisis, how do you reinvent homelessness services to make them about prevention? As part of our Reset Homelessness campaign, Jess McCabe reports from a conference where the gap between good intentions and the capacity to change is palpable
The carousel of homeless funding as experienced by one Leeds service
What can the government learn about how to improve homelessness services from the funding and staffing problems of one frontline provider? As part of Inside Housing and Homeless Link’s Reset Homelessness campaign, Ella Jessel visits a service in Leeds to find out what needs to change
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