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Reset Homelessness: Breaking the cycle to deliver a homelessness system that works for all
As Homeless Link and Inside Housing launch the Reset Homelessness campaign calling for a systemic review of funding to deliver a system that works for everyone, Sophie Boobis, head of policy and research at charity Homeless Link, emphasises the importance of this work for repairing the social fabric of our country
Sophie Boobis is head of research at Homeless Link
Ending homelessness and rough sleeping relies on a sufficient supply of suitable, affordable accommodation, alongside services with enough capacity to deliver a range of high-quality, sustainable support to people who need it. With political will and strategic investment, there is no reason why anyone should experience homelessness in England.
The homelessness system spans a huge range of services, working across prevention, relief and holistic support. These support services offer a lifeline for some of the country’s most vulnerable residents, for whom there are few other options. In this light, we welcome the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s announcement on funding plans for the next financial year, which acknowledges the diversity of services needed, the importance of prevention and the need for rough sleeping support.
However, for many years now, there have been signs that the funding system is broken, undermining our ability to deliver the high-quality support needed to address and end homelessness.
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This neglect has resulted in rising numbers of people forced to sleep on our streets, skyrocketing temporary-accommodation bills and race-to-the-bottom support contracts. With hundreds of thousands of lives being damaged, this is nothing short of a national scandal.
The system is at once hugely expensive and insufficient. The annual bill for temporary accommodation is £1.8bn, while services have been subjected to severe cuts and funded in a patchwork manner that can trap people in homelessness and leave some without any access to support. Current budget shortfalls have placed pressure on delivery and left providers constantly managing crises, unable to plan strategically for the future.
“With a new Labour government in place, the time is right to campaign for a comprehensive review of current homelessness funding and a restructured system”
Measures that could prevent homelessness in the first place – such as social housing, welfare provisions, social support, health and social care, and poverty relief – continue to fall short after years of chronic underinvestment.
We need to break this cycle. If we do not, thousands more people will be forced to experience the trauma of homelessness and rough sleeping, to the detriment of their physical and mental well-being.
As the funding system has been eroded, Homeless Link and our members have worked to highlight the issues and suggest solutions. With a new Labour government in place, the time is right to campaign for a comprehensive review of current homelessness funding and a restructured system which enables a sustainable, effective and prevention-focused approach that works for everyone.
Encouragingly, answering our call for change, the government announced in the Budget that the “Treasury will work with [the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] and others in the cross-government taskforce to address homelessness and rough sleeping ahead of the spring Spending Review” as a priority.
What is now essential is that they take the time to get it right. It is a complex task and there is too much at stake to rush it in time for the 2025 Spending Review. The newly announced homelessness funding settlement for 2025-26 provides welcome certainty over the next year and will allow the time needed to complete the process thoroughly, including the period necessary for the effective commissioning of services.
“By building a clear picture of the current spending on homelessness, the new government can regain control and reinvest strategically”
It is evident that the former government lost control of homelessness costs. By building a clear picture of the current spending on homelessness, the new government can regain control and reinvest strategically in support that works.
Establishing secure, long-term and comprehensive funding will allow the whole system to plan and operate strategically. This will support the new cross-government strategy to end homelessness, enabling it to move away from crisis interventions and focus on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place, or providing the long-term support and housing needed.
We have produced a blueprint for what an effective funding system should look like, but now we need the government to take this on. Through our partnership with Inside Housing, we will look to highlight pertinent issues and begin to reflect on questions the government must be asking in the lead-up to the Spending Review.
We will also share a variety of perspectives from homelessness support providers and people with lived experience of homelessness, illustrating the impact of the current system and the very real, and sometimes existential, struggles they face.
It is our ambition to ensure that all the sector’s concerns are heard, and our advice listened to. By collaborating, we can make sure that the reset funding system is one that is fit for purpose – capable of ending homelessness for all.
Sophie Boobis, head of policy and research, Homeless Link
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