The latest official homelessness statistics show the highest number of households living in temporary accommodation since records began. John Glenton, Executive Director of Riverside Care and Support, the largest provider of accommodation for people affected by homelessness in the UK, says what’s needed is a national plan for housing which also tackles homelessness.
It is very worrying to see the number of households in temporary accommodation have now hit a new high record high. We now have the highest number of homeless households in temporary accommodation since records began 25 years ago.
The last time the number of households in temporary accommodation breached the 100,000 barrier was in 2004 when a series of reforms was introduced which managed to more than halve the number of people in temporary accommodation in six years.
These reforms included more investment in homeless hostels, supported housing and move-on accommodation with a focus on rehabilitation and resettlement of people affected by homelessness into long-term housing.
Specialist mental health teams for people affected by homelessness were also introduced, as was an increased focus on prevention to help people to maintain tenancies.
While some of these services are being offered by some providers now, the implementation of it is patchy and inconsistent and limited by short-term commissioning.
In 2004 we had a national programme of reforms supported by long-term ring-fenced grant funding to local authorities, which enabled councils to focus on helping vulnerable people to live independently.
We believe there is a clear need for a national plan for housing which also tackles homelessness and for government to ring-fence and increase long-term revenue funding for supported housing to ensure spending at least matches the £1.6bn per year.
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