Date of Event: Thursday, April 27th 2023
Time of Event: 9:20 AM — 1:00 PM
Place of Event: Webinar
Prior to the start of the pandemic, levels of homelessness were already on the rise. Crisis Homelessness Monitor recorded an increase of around 18% in ‘core homelessness’ in the UK between 2012 and 2019, rising to an estimated 220,000 households. According to government data, 69,180 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless between April and June 2022, a 2% increase compared to the year before. This data also show 5,940 households were threatened with homelessness in England as a result of Section 21 no-fault evictions between April and June 2022 – an increase of 76% in a year following the end of the government’s Covid eviction ban in May 2021. As the economic fallout of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis puts more individuals and families at risk, and with short-term measures implemented across the UK having come to an end, there is urgent need for government to take serious action to tackle homelessness. Research from the charity Crisis suggests that homelessness will increase significantly as a result of rising poverty levels, with 6,000 more homeless people in England predicted by 2024.
The UK government invested a total of £750 million in 2020-21 in efforts to address homelessness and rough sleeping, most notably through the £316 million Homelessness Prevention Grant, designed to give local authorities control and flexibility in their management of homelessness pressures. Additionally, the government provided a £65 million rent relief fund for renters facing eviction during winter 2021-22. The government furthermore pledged £433 million for their 2021-24 Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme. This aims to support up to 6,000 rough sleepers into longer term accommodation, where they will subsequently receive specialist assistance and training. In September 2022, the government introduced a £2 billion Rough Sleeping Strategy to end rough sleeping over the course of the current Parliament. The strategy includes the pledge of 14,000 beds and 3,000 support staff to help individuals find work and access mental health services; an extra 2,400 long-term supported homes to be created for those with most complex needs; and an expansion of drug and alcohol treatment services. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, the Scottish government introduced a rent freeze and eviction ban in October 2022, which is expected to last until March 2023.
Shelter has called for further government investment, referring to existing measures as ‘sticking plaster’ attempts to mend a ‘gaping wound’. They have suggested that funding only meets a fifth of existing need, failing to meet the scale of the challenge. This is particularly evident in the provision of social housing, with only 7,000 social homes being built in 2021, far short of Shelter’s estimated requirement of 90,000. The government has also received significant criticism for its decision in November 2022 to delay publication of legislation banning no-fault evictions, which campaigners claim would significantly aid the battle to tackle homelessness.
As individuals and families across the UK continue to reckon with the long-term financial consequences of the pandemic and the immediate challenges of the cost-of-living crisis, this symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for policymakers, professionals from the housing sector, charities and specialised homelessness agencies to discuss the latest strategies for tackling homelessness and improve the lives of rough sleepers.
