Welsh committee agrees to inquiry into housing vulnerable people

The Welsh government’s rapid rehousing initiative aims to help people experiencing homelessness find settled housing as quickly as possible.

Its guidance directs councils to treat most hostels and other supported accommodation as temporary accommodation, reducing their use over time.

The government’s upcoming Homelessness Bill, expected to be introduced in February, will require councils in Wales to extend the housing support they offer. 

It will focus on rapid rehousing and removing barriers to support, including abolishing tests relating to priority need and whether someone has made themselves ‘intentionally homeless’.

The inquiry will also look at current and anticipated pressures in the delivery of grant-funded support services, including pressures on the workforce. 

It will examine how much is known about service performance, including data on outcomes, and how effective joint working is between housing support services and public services such as health and social care. 

Finally, the committee will look into which services should be commissioned in future to effectively support people with complex needs to find and keep a home.

Recently, Inside Housing spoke to Welsh housing secretary Jayne Bryant on how she plans to deliver on tough targets ahead of the Senedd election in 2026. 

This includes the Welsh government’s target of delivering 20,000 low-carbon homes for social rent, as well as the introduction of new homelessness legislation and a building safety bill.