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Crisis claims victory for homelessness strategy

Finance | 25 Nov 2008

Crisis has claimed victory as government ministers finally unveiled plans to beat homelessness in the capital by 2012 with a £200m investment.

The homelessness charity celebrated a breakthrough after 12 months of campaigning as the government launched the new strategy No one left out: Communities ending rough sleeping.

The strategy is based on a 15-point action plan that includes several measures put forward by Crisis and other rough sleeping charities in a bid to eradicate the problem.

The policies will help homeless people get off the streets through the development of ‘personal achievable action plans' which will improve access to employment and training. There will also be an increased number of street rescue support teams and a 24-hour helpline to report concerns.

The government admitted the work ahead would be a "tough challenge" but action, advice and assistance would be the key.

Policies geared towards recession

With rough sleeping being reduced by two-thirds from 1,850 people in 1997 to 483 to date, policies are now starting to become geared towards the possibility of economic downturn forcing people to lose their homes.

This follows findings from a survey by St Mungo's that more than one in eight people feared being made homeless by falling behind on payments.

Plans to prevent future homelessness include assisting people with supported lodgings and deposits on rented properties, as well as expansion of the statutory safety net for those at risk of rough sleeping. There will also be new protocols for lenders, more free debt advice and greater availability of free legal representation.

Further campaigning

Leslie Morphy, chief executive at Crisis, said: "We're obviously delighted to see the government has listened to our recommendations and will be implementing them soon.

"In particular, we are delighted to see a commitment to consider changes to the statutory safety net for those at risk of rough sleeping, alongside increased prevention work and greater availability of alternative housing options to stop people from ending up on the streets in the first place. What remains to be seen, however, is how far these changes to the safety net will go - this is an area we will be campaigning strongly on in the future."

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