16 COMMENT
The strategy includes plans for a National Workforce Programme to equip frontline teams with essential training and expert advice. The Government said progress will be tracked through national reports, which will be overseen by the Inter- Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to ensure “transparency, accountability and momentum”. Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “Through our new strategy, we can build a future where homelessness is rare, brief and not repeated. With record investment, new duties on public services and a relentless focus on accountability, we will turn ambition into reality.”
DOUBLING NEW HOUSE COMPLETIONS For the homelessness strategy to work effectively, the supply of new social and affordable homes needs to increase signifi cantly and this is where a bn investment by Homes England should assist by providing the funds and framewor for , new homes to be built by teve eed described this as the “biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation”. Homes England is the Government’s housing and regeneration agency. Its chair Pat Ritchie, said “Our early analysis suggests that over the net fi ve years we will support the delivery of approximately , new homes and unloc land that is capable of supporting almost , homes “We estimate that agency-supported gross housing completions will almost double by the end of this parliament, from around , completions per year in to more than , completions per year by
She added: “Through partnership and a deep understanding of local needs, we can create a much-needed step change in the delivery of new homes, including social housing, and affordable communities – directly addressing the needs of current and future generations and ensuring everyone can have a safe place to live and thrive.”
The plan puts collaboration with mayors, local leaders and partners at its heart, to deliver high-quality, safe and sustainable homes in thriving, inclusive communities and contribute towards the Government’s overall ambition to build million new homes in this arliament The agency is restructuring itself to deliver a stronger regional focus and in early it is due to publish plans for the launch of a National Housing Bank. The new Strategic Plan responds to what house builders and housing organisations have long called for – more tailored support, more fl eibility, longer term funding and the ability to support delivery at scale.
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK HIGH LEVELS OF NEED
The need for both initiatives was demonstrated by fresh research from helter which revealed that , people in ngland, including , children are without a home this winter, an increase of in the past year and euivalent to one in every people now experiencing homelessness. This refl ects sharp rises in the number of people sleeping rough and record numbers of families with children stuck in temporary accommodation. he charity’s shocing fi gures reveal that: • , people are homeless and living in temporary accommodation (TA), most of whom are families with children. This is the highest number of people in TA since records began
• t least , people are sleeping rough on any given night a increase in one year
• n estimated , additional single people are staying in hostels or other homeless accommodation
• t least , people are in accommodation provided by social services.
According to Shelter, the dire shortage of social homes, unaffordable private rents and the freeze on housing benefi t are pushing more people into homelessness and trapping them there. Temporary accommodation is only ever intended for emergency, short-term use (with a maximum stay of just six weeks for families with children), but the lack of alternative options means people are increasingly stuck in it for much longer. The charity’s research shows households spend an average of nearly three years in temporary accommodation while attempting to access a stable home. Conditions in temporary
accommodation are often terrible with entire families crammed into one room in a rundown B&B, having to share beds, with inadequate or non-existent cooking and laundry facilities. Others may be placed in grotty bedsits that are miles away from their children’s school, their work, and crucial support networks – completely destabilising their lives. For those not entitled to temporary accommodation, sofasurfi ng, a bed in a night shelter or sleeping rough may be their only option.
A COUNTRYWIDE PROBLEM While over half of the people who are homeless in England live in London, Shelter’s data reveals that the housing emergency is not limited to the capital alone, with sharp rises in homelessness recorded across much of the country. In
the North West, the number of people recorded as homeless has grown by in the last year, and in Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands it has risen by
In east London, Newham is the local authority with the highest rate of homelessness in the country with one in people recorded as being homeless Outside of London, Slough is the worst affected local authority, with one in people homeless, followed by Hastings with one in homeless and anchester and irmingham where one in every people are homeless.
Until more genuinely affordable social housing is built, one of the only ways people can escape homelessness is if they are able to afford private rents. But this is almost impossible when housing benefi t is frozen and so far out of sync with private rents. Shelter is urging the Government to help people who are homeless by unfreeing housing benefi t so that it covers at least the bottom third of private rents.
ommenting on the fi gures arah lliott, chief eecutive offi cer at helter, said: “It’s unthinkable that as winter sets in, more than , people are without a safe place to call home. “Every day at Shelter we hear from parents who are terrifi ed of waiting out another winter in appalling temporary accommodation. Cut off from family and friends in a bleak emergency B&B that’s miles away, they watch as their children’s breath hangs in the air and mould climbs the walls. “We urge the Government to help the families who are homeless right now by ending the freee on housing benefi t This would immediately lift thousands of children out of temporary accommodation and into a home. While we campaign for change, our frontline services will continue providing direct support to those facing homelessness this winter and beyond.”
The Government resisted the calls to lift the cap on housing benefi t levels in the most recent Budget. But failing to take this sort of action could stymie the new homelessness plan and this decision might be revisited, ust lie the child benefi t cap was lifted after a long campaign by lobbyists and growing numbers of backbench MPs. The Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping will be monitoring the impact of the new policies, alongside other infl uential politicians like Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. We can be sure they will raise their concerns in public if they do not see meaningful change and a change in both waiting lists and the numbers in temporary accommodation.
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