To ask Her Majesty's Government what key factors they have identified as leading to an increase in homelessness; and what plans they have to achieve its reduction.
Answered on
24 October 2017
One person without a home is one too many – that is why we are taking a new approach, with prevention at its heart. We supported and will implement the Homelessness Reduction Act, which will ensure that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place.
We know that homelessness is more than just a housing issue. That is why we are working across Government to ensure that homeless people, particularly those with complex needs, can access the support they need. Our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme is funding 84 projects to provide support to homeless people, including mental health, substance misuse and employment support. We are going further by committing to halving rough sleeping by 2022, and piloting a Housing First approach, which operates on the principle that the individual is first housed in self-contained accommodation, and then provided with case-worker support for as long as they need it.