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Local government thinktank launches homelessness commission
A commission aimed at finding ways councils can reduce homelessness has been launched by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) thinktank and membership body.
The Local Government Homelessness Commission (LGHC) will spend a year investigating how town halls can stop people becoming homeless.
It will be co-chaired by Peter Fleming, leader of Sevenoaks District Council, and Simon Blackburn, leader of Blackpool Council.
The commission intends to provide practical recommendations for ways councils can implement the new Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force in April and places extra duties on local authorities to keep households in stable accommodation.
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Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGIU, said: “This is an essential time for local government to examine what can be done locally to combat the rapidly growing homelessness crisis across the country.
“It is for this reason that we are proud to be launching the Local Government Homelessness Commission with the support of our co-chairs and members.
“The commission’s work is an important milestone as we look to build best practice and identify what resources, powers and tools are required from government moving forward for councils up and down the country to take a lead in preventing this crisis.”
Through a series of evidence sessions beginning in Autumn, the LGHC will gather information on temporary accommodation, data collection, support for young and vulnerable people and the economics of homelessness.
It will produce a full report on its findings in spring 2019.
Official figures showed that 4,751 people slept rough in 2017, while there were 79,880 households in temporary accommodation at the end of March this year.
The government has committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it by 2027.
Mr Blackburn said: “With the crisis of homelessness increasing rapidly, we have a responsibility across local government to step up and find ways that it can be tackled.
“This is a complex picture, which is different in different parts of the country. It is therefore about using the right tools to prevent homelessness in local areas, but we also call on central government for the resources and support to make this work.”
Mr Fleming said: “There is a clear and unambiguous need for local government to put our collective minds to solutions that can be quickly moved to actions, to urgently turn the runaway train of increasing homelessness in this country around.”
At a glance: Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 came into force in England on 3 April 2018.
The key measures:
- An extension of the period ‘threatened with homelessness’ from 28 to 56 days – this means a person is treated as being threatened with homelessness if it is likely they will become homeless within 56 days
- A duty to prevent homelessness for all eligible applicants threatened with homelessness, regardless of priority need
- A duty to relieve homelessness for all eligible homeless applicants, regardless of priority need
- A duty to refer – public services will need to notify a local authority if they come into contact with someone they think may be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- A duty for councils to provide advisory services on homelessness, preventing homelessness and people’s rights free of charge
- A duty to access all applicants' cases and agree a personalised plan
Cathy at 50 campaign
Our Cathy at 50 campaign calls on councils to explore Housing First as a default option for long-term rough sleepers and commission Housing First schemes, housing associations to identify additional stock for Housing First schemes and government to support five Housing First projects, collect evidence and distribute best practice.
