Tackling homelessness
Tackling homelessness and supporting sustainable tenancies
Homelessness is one of the most devastating symptoms of the national housing crisis.
There are over 300,000 homeless people in the UK, and almost 5000 people sleeping rough on our streets every night. In 2018 there were 726 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales, an increase of 22 per cent on the previous year. Many more thousands are at risk of becoming homeless.
Since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, local authorities have a legal obligation to help every eligible applicant to their homelessness services - not just those in priority need - and to actively take steps to both prevent and relieve homelessness.
But from the evidence on our streets it is clear that legislation alone is not enough. With limited resources, more and more people are slipping through the net. That is why we are part of a network of providers that can deliver a range of solutions dependent on the needs of the applicant. Not all providers are suited to all solutions, and by working in partnership we can achieve much more.
We have identified a number of key areas where we believe we can have the most impact in helping to prevent and relieve homelessness.
These fall into three categories:
Lobbying
- Supporting national campaigns and organisations
- Raising awareness with local MPs and councillors
- Partnership working with specialist agencies
- Fundraising for local homelessness charities
Prevention
- Building new homes
- Risk assessment and support referral framework for all new tenants
- A range of accommodation and support services including direct access hostels and intensive housing management funded services
- Housing First
- Providing clear information about our own Financial Inclusion and Money Advice services to residents to support them in sustaining their tenancy
Signposting
- National and local organisations that provide specialist advice and support services to homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless.
You can find a range of these organisations on our dedicated national and local support and advice pages.
You can download our latest Homelessness Strategy for more details: