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More ambition needed from government to ensure rough sleepers do not return to streets, says St Mungo’s
Homelessness charity St Mungo’s is calling on the government to provide “a much bigger and bolder plan” to ensure rough sleepers who have been placed in hotels during the pandemic do not end up back on the streets.
As part of a new campaign called ‘No Going Back’, the charity has laid out five demands to ensure thousands of people who have been housed in emergency accommodation during the lockdown can move into specialist hostels or permanent homes.
The demands include making sure no one is forced out of emergency accommodation without being offered suitable alternative housing, alongside the provision of more housing and support for people with complex needs – for example through Housing First.
In addition, the government must ensure there is enough housing for domestic abuse survivors and must continue to pay for housing for individuals with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
Latest estimates by London Councils found that 900 (25%) of the 3,600 rough sleepers housed in London during the crisis are migrants with NRPF, meaning they have no access to housing and other welfare benefits.
St Mungo’s is also calling on the government to increase the Local Housing Allowance rate to cover the cheapest 50% of private rented properties, as well as lift the benefit cap.
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In March, homelessness minister Luke Hall wrote to local authorities in England asking them to house all rough sleepers during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the government, 90% of rough sleepers who were known to councils at the beginning of the lockdown have now been offered emergency accommodation.
At the start of May, the government launched a rough sleeping taskforce to work alongside councils to ensure rough sleepers who have been housed in hotels are offered permanent accommodation once the crisis is over.
Beatrice Orchard, head of policy campaigns and research at St Mungos, told Inside Housing: “As the country begins to move out of the lockdown and into the next phase of the pandemic, there is absolutely no guarantee at the moment about what happens to those hotel rooms and the people in them.”
She added: “The taskforce headed up by Dame Louise Casey is obviously a good start, there is an indication that the government is going to continue to play a role in helping people move on from the hotel accommodation, but I think we need a much bigger and bolder plan and level of ambition that is about making sure no one goes back to rough sleeping.”
“To get this right across the country for those 5,000 plus people, it requires more leadership and ultimately the funding to councils to follow.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Over 90% of rough sleepers known to councils at the beginning of this crisis have now been made offers of safe accommodation, backed by an unprecedented package of support for local government.
“We will continue to prioritise and support this effort and have provided £3.2bn to councils to deal with immediate pressures, including supporting rough sleepers.
“Our new rough sleeping taskforce – spearheaded by Dame Louise Casey – will work hand in hand with councils across the country on plans to ensure as many rough sleepers as possible can move into long-term, safe accommodation once the immediate crisis is over.”
