Homelessness across England is on course to rise by 25 per cent by the end of the decade without government action, according to new analysis by IPPR North and IPPR.
That would mean an additional 50,000 people without a roof over their head or at risk of rough sleeping.
In a new report, the think tanks urge the new government to roll out a national programme to provide access to shelter and support for those who are sleeping rough or imminently at risk, inspired by Greater Manchester’s “A Bed Every Night” programme.
Authors also call for urgent support so councils can bring long-term empty homes back into use, quickly boosting housing numbers and reducing reliance on expensive and poor-quality temporary accommodation.
The report warns that the current system is failing people at the sharpest end of the housing crisis, fuelled by rising living costs and increasingly unaffordable rents.
This failure comes at a growing cost to the public purse. Councils are already being pushed closer to bankruptcy as billions are spent on costly, ineffective temporary accommodation including hostels and B&Bs often charged at high nightly rates. Yet, this system offers neither stability nor a genuine pathway out of homelessness.
Instead, the report calls for a national shift to a housing-led approach – where access to secure homes is offered as quickly as possible, with additional support provided as needed.
This is both more effective for individuals and better value for taxpayers.
There are currently thousands of homes classed as “long term vacant”, sitting empty and unused while people are sleeping on the streets.
The new government is urged to reverse 40 years of ‘Right to Buy’ depleting social housing stock, by funding programmes that allow councils to bring these homes back into circulation – housing the most vulnerable and saving taxpayers and councils money while bringing benefits to communities.
Researchers investigated three regions in England that have already adopted housing-led approaches to homelessness with devolved powers, including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, and Oxfordshire County Council.
They identified several barriers to implementing housing-led approaches, most notably, a lack of social housing supply, which is acutely holding back meaningful attempts to eradicate homelessness.
The recommendations come amid renewed political debate over homelessness following Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham’s call for a “national housing first philosophy”.
While the National Plan to End Homelessness is a step in the right direction, the authors argue that in the immediate future, vulnerable households will remain trapped in a costly and unstable system of temporary accommodation unless government acts to increase access to secure homes.
IPPR and IPPR North recommendations include a programme to bring long-term empty homes into circulation so councils can rapidly increase social housing supply and reduce reliance on costly temporary accommodation
Mayors they say should use their strategic planning powers and further devolution to set ambitious targets for social housing and there should be new duties on registered providers to work with councils to house people experiencing homelessness, strengthening obligations to cooperate.
Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, author and senior research fellow at IPPR, says:
“People going through what might be the toughest time of their lives need stability and support, and that starts by having a place to call home.
“Housing-led approaches are about making sure that people can get the support they need, while also having a permanent roof over their heads and certainty over where they will live.
“We know these approaches work. We just need government to help support councils and mayors to put them into practice.”
