Blueprint providing solution to homelessness laid out

HOMELESSNESS in Britain could be eradicated within 10 years with the right measures in place, according to a report.

Government policies needed to end homelessness have been set out in a report – Everybody In: How To End Homelessness In Great Britain – by the charity Crisis.

The plan has been endorsed by experts in the US, Canada and Finland, who are leading successful movements to end homelessness in their countries.

The report comes following work with the Chartered Institute of Housing, Heriot-watt University, the National Housing Federation, and Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP (PWC).

Findings include an estimation that 100,500 social homes need to be built every year for the next 15 years in order to meet the needs of homeless people and low-income Britons.

The plan envisages that a roll-out of what is known as the “Housing First” programme would benefit more than 18,000 homeless people – by providing homes that come with a package of specialised support.

The plan also sets out policies needed to support people once they are housed, including better rights and longer tenancies, and reforming housing benefits. Ending homelessness will also require hospitals, prisons, the care system, and other parts of the state to play a role, the research finds.

Crisis said these agencies should be legally required to help prevent people leaving their care from becoming homeless. The plan also proposes that job centres have homelessness specialists.

PWC found that, over the next decade, the policies would cost £9.9 billion and deliver benefits worth £26.4bn.

Crisis chief Jon Sparkes said: “For the first time ever, we have a comprehensive plan that shows exactly how we can address the root causes of homelessness and make it a thing of the past.

“Other parts of the world are taking huge strides towards ending it, and Britain can too.

“We must not become a society that simply accepts homelessness as ‘a sad fact of life’, because the good news is that we know it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Crisis said there are currently 236,000 homeless people across England, Wales and Scotland.

This includes people living on the street, in cars and tents, or in unsuitable temporary accommodation.