Rough sleeping: political parties need to commit

Last autumn we launched our Cathy at 50 campaign in the week of the anniversary of Ken Loach’s seminal film. The story of a young woman who lost her home and family caused public outcry when it brought homelessness into the living rooms of 12 million people in 1966. Five decades on, we looked at the progress made since then and the work yet to be done.

We called on government to commit to ending rough sleeping. Now, with an unexpected election looming, all political parties have an opportunity to make a firm and public commitment to do just that.

As the parties scrabble to put together their manifestos, we call on all parties to commit to ending rough sleeping by the end of the parliament. This shouldn’t be a difficult decision. Housing minister Gavin Barwell has called rough sleeping “a great moral stain on our times”. Just this week, shadow housing minister John Healey said the scale of rough sleeping in this country “shames us all”. We have had the words - now we need the commitment to act.

Succeeding won’t be easy. It requires recognition that policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum and can have unintended consequences. But we know from Finland, which has adopted the Housing First approach, that where there is sufficient will and commitment, it is possible.

So far Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru have said they will pledge to end rough sleeping by the end of the parliament. The Conservatives and UKIP have said they will end rough sleeping but have set no date. We call on them, the Scottish National Party and the Green Party to show they are serious by adopting our time frame.

We also ask the political parties and the sector to look into adopting the Housing First model, which involves providing permanent housing backed up by tailored support. Communities secretary Sajid Javid has already backed a feasibility study in Liverpool. Councils and housing associations also need to play their part. The Chartered Institute of Housing’s research project, which looks at how they can work together, will provide a helpful evidence base.

It is time to stamp out rough sleeping for good.