Homelessness


Labour calls for extension of evictions ban to ‘avoid homelessness crisis’ 18/09/2020 The Labour Party have called on the Government to extend the evictions ban due to end on Sunday to avoid a homelessness crisis this winter.
Jenrick announces over £90m to tackle rough sleeping 17/09/2020 The Government has announced today that over £90m in funding will be given to local authorities to help them provide temporary housing to vulnerable people.
Renters facing eviction given a 'Christmas truce' 11/09/2020 The Government has announced a 'winter truce' on the enforcement of evictions over the Christmas period.
Calls for emergency funding to help tenants clear 'Covid-arrears' 28/08/2020 The Government has been urged to create a £270m investment package to help tenants clear rent arrears as a result of the pandemic.
Evictions ban extended 21/08/2020 The Government has extended the ban on evictions of renters for a further month following lobbying by councils.
Councils warn of ‘avalanche of evictions’ 21/08/2020 The local government sector is braced for a deluge of homelessness following the end of the evictions ban.
Plans to end homelessness will ‘fail’ without funding 13/08/2020 The Government’s pledge to end homelessness will fail unless services are fully funded in the upcoming spending review, the Salvation Army has warned.
Welsh government announces £50m package to tackle homelessness 11/08/2020 The Welsh government has announced the onset of phase two of a package aimed at providing people with safe and secure homes.
A modular solution to the housing crisis 10/08/2020 Richard Hyams says modular construction is the untapped answer to providing shelter to Britain’s homeless.
Public bodies urged to work in partnership to eliminate rough sleeping 23/07/2020 Public bodies have failed to work together to tackle homelessness in Wales, a report has warned today.
Jenrick unveils extra funding to help house vulnerable people 20/07/2020 Councils are being encouraged to apply for the government’s £266m fund to help vulnerable people move into long-term accommodation.
Mistakes on homelessness are making matters worse, says Ombudsman 15/07/2020 Problems with the way councils are meeting their housing duties are making things worse for homeless people, the Ombudsman found.
Charity warns 230,000 renters at risk of 'Covid-eviction' 06/07/2020 Nearly a quarter of a million private renters have fallen into arrears since the pandemic started, a homelessness charity has warned today.
Rent arrears could see homelessness treble this year, campaigners warn 01/07/2020 Homelessness could treble this year due to financial impact of coronavirus, campaigners have warned today.
£105m funding boost to help homeless off the streets after lockdown 24/06/2020 Ministers have unveiled a further £105m of funding to help keep rough sleepers off the streets after the pandemic.
Councils call for suspension of No Recourse to Public Funds 12/06/2020 Council leaders have called on the Government to ensure vulnerable people can access support regardless of their immigration status during the pandemic.
London Councils warn spending on homelessness is 'unsustainable' 08/06/2020 London boroughs are spending an extra £50m on homelessness services due to Covid-19, new figures have revealed.
Frontline services warn of rise in homelessness 04/06/2020 Over of half of frontline services have seen a rise in homelessness due to the coronavirus pandemic, research has revealed today.
Plan to build 6,000 new homes to 'end rough sleeping' 26/05/2020 The Government has pledged to provide long-term homes for those people taken off the streets during the pandemic.
Councils 'unlikely to cope' with rise in homelessness 22/05/2020 Campaigners have warned that councils are unlikely to cope with a rise in homelessness after figures showed half of homeless households were unable to secure a home before the pandemic.
‘Golden opportunity’ to end rough sleeping 22/05/2020 The Government has been urged to commit £100m to councils in a bid to end rough sleeping in England.
Scots charities launch bid to end rough sleeping 21/05/2020 A coalition of Scots charities will today present plans their plans to end rough sleeping to the Scottish Government.
Councils urged to make bold changes to end homelessness 20/05/2020 Local authorities have been urged to take practical steps to ensure nobody is forced to sleep rough once the lockdown is over.
District councils warn 500,000 at risk of homelessness 06/05/2020 Almost 500,000 households are at high risk of becoming homeless as a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis, new analysis for the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has revealed.
Councils have supported 90% of rough sleepers during pandemic 04/05/2020 Councils have offered accommodation to 90% of known rough sleepers to keep them safe during the pandemic, the Government has confirmed.
Social landlords asked to only allow essential home moves 28/04/2020 Social housing landlords have been asked to pause any non-urgent house moves to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
Hotels supporting key workers and homeless to stay open 26/03/2020 Hotels, hostels and B&Bs supporting key workers and vulnerable people are to remain open as part of the effort to contain the coronavirus.
Councils 'failing' homeless veterans, campaigners warn 24/03/2020 Campaigners have warned councils are failing to take account of veterans in their housing and homelessness strategies.
Homeless families need more Coronavirus protection, charity says 20/03/2020 Families in temporary accommodation should be provided with better protection against Coronavirus, a housing charity has said.
Emergency funding to help rough sleepers self-isolate 18/03/2020 Councils will be reimbursed the cost of helping homeless people self-isolate to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Tory MPs call for more funding for services to prevent rough sleeping 16/03/2020 A group of 10 Conservative MPs have called for a move from a policy of ‘housing first’ to one of ‘prevention first’ that would see more funding go to services aimed at preventing homelessness.
Lack of housing stopping councils from helping homeless people, charity warns 10/03/2020 A lack of affordable housing is forcing local authorities to leave people homeless, a homelessness charity has warned.
Service reform needed to tackle persistent use of Spice within homeless population 06/03/2020 Legislation has failed to reduce the use of Spice by homeless people, a new study has concluded.
Number of homeless people admitted to hospital rises 130% in five years 03/03/2020 Homelessness led to a sharp increase in the number of hospital admissions in the past year, new research has revealed.
PM announces extra £236m to tackle rough sleeping 27/02/2020 The Government has announced an extra £236m to help get rough sleepers off the street and will lead an ‘urgent review’ into what forces people to sleep rough.
Housing benefit reform a ‘false economy’ 27/02/2020 Councils have been left carrying the financial burden of reforms to housing benefit, new research has revealed today.
Call for ‘urgent action’ to stop people sleeping in bins 24/02/2020 Waste companies have called for a collaborative approach to stopping homeless people from sleeping in bins as new figures reveal a 15% increase in the practice over the last half decade.
An innovative approach to tackling homelessness 21/02/2020 Cllr Sue Fennimore explains what innovative approach Hammersmith & Fulham Council is taking to tackle homelessness.
Extending support for refugees could save millions, research finds 18/02/2020 Helping new refugees for longer could help save the public purse millions of pounds every year, new research has revealed today.
Majority of homeless women suffer mental health issues 17/02/2020 A new study has revealed that the vast majority of women who are homeless suffer from physical or mental health issues.
Calls to close down Harlow’s office blocks ‘ghettos’ 14/02/2020 Converted office blocks that are being used to house vulnerable homeless people should be closed down, the MP for Harlow has said.
Scotland has ‘highest rate’ of homeless deaths in Britain, figures reveal 06/02/2020 Scotland has over twice the number of homelessness deaths than England, ‘experimental statistics’ reveal.
Temporary accommodation industry worth £1.1bn 04/02/2020 An investigation has revealed that councils are spending £1.1bn on temporary accommodation every year, with 86% going to private landlords or companies.
Calls for urgent reform of Local Housing Allowance rates 03/02/2020 Changes to Local Housing Allowance rates will fail to protect people from homelessness, the Scottish housing minister has warned.
Building society pilots ‘contactless’ donation scheme to tackle homelessness 31/01/2020 A branch of the building society Nationwide has introduced a novel new way to donate to a homelessness charity – ‘contactless posters’.
Thousands miss out on drug services due to cuts, charity finds 29/01/2020 At least 12,000 people experiencing homelessness missed out on vital drug and alcohol services last year, new research has revealed.
Seven out of 10 councils overspend on homelessness 28/01/2020 Seven out of 10 English councils overspent their homelessness budgets in 2018/19 by a combined total of nearly £115m, Local Government Association (LGA) analysis has found.
Rough sleeping programme gets £115m funding boost 28/01/2020 Funding for the Rough Sleeping Initiative will be increased by 30% this year to enable councils to deliver up to 6,000 new bed spaces.
UK ‘haemorrhaging’ social housing, charity warns 28/01/2020 A homelessness charity has warned in response to new Government figures that the UK is ‘haemorrhaging’ social housing each year.
Charity drops legal action against Glasgow Council 15/01/2020 Shelter has dropped legal action against Glasgow City Council after the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) announced it was intervening.
Local housing allowance ‘freeze’ ended 14/01/2020 The Government has announced that it will end the four-year freeze on the local housing allowance (LHA) which charities blame for a rise in homelessness.
PM pledges £260m to ‘eliminate’ homelessness 24/12/2019 The Prime Minister has pledged £260m to help local authorities prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
Welfare reform drives ‘sofa surfing’, council chiefs warn 23/12/2019 Council leaders have called on the Government to adapt welfare reforms as research finds changes to the benefits system have been a driver of ‘sofa surfing’.
Council chiefs call for welfare reform to tackle homelessness 19/12/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the new Government to adapt welfare reforms so that they protect families at risk of becoming homeless.
Rough sleeping in Greater Manchester down by nearly 40% 18/12/2019 Mayor of Greater Manchester urges the Government to do more to help the homeless as figures reveal rough sleeping has fallen by 37% in one year.
Around 280,000 people will be homeless this Christmas, charity warns 18/12/2019 A new study has revealed that 280,000 people are recorded as homeless in England – an increase of 23,000 since 2016.
Khan urges Londoners to support rough sleepers this winter 17/12/2019 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on residents of the capital to support his winter rough sleeping campaign ahead of Christmas.
Council’s homelessness service suffers ‘serious weaknesses’ 09/12/2019 A housing regulator has launched an inquiry to investigate ‘serious weaknesses’ in Glasgow City Council’s service for people who are homeless.
Overdose victims in Glasgow saved 17 times in four months 04/12/2019 Glasgow Council has released figures showing that overdose victims were revived 17 times in four months at its night shelter.
A child loses their home ‘every eight minutes’, charity says 03/12/2019 The number of children without a home in Britain is at the highest it has been in 12 years, a homelessness charity has revealed.
Lib Dems unveil plans to tackle homelessness 28/11/2019 The Liberal Democrats have set out a raft of plans to end rough sleeping if they won the General Election.
Collaboration is the key to tackling homelessness 27/11/2019 With the support of stakeholders, including forward-thinking local authorities, Beam’s innovative support model ‘swiftly removes every barrier faced by homeless people from entering the workforce’, says Seb Barker.
New grants to support Housing First services 27/11/2019 Five housing providers have been awarded £450,000 to help support people facing chronic homelessness and multiple disadvantages.
Launch of world’s first ‘gender-lens’ property fund 26/11/2019 The first gender-lens property fund to support women at risk of homelessness has been launched, aiming to raise £100m.
Families forced into homelessness by ‘unaffordable’ housing 20/11/2019 A charity has warned families are being pushed into homelessness as figures reveal nine in 10 homes are unaffordable to families relying on housing benefit.
Over 22,000 young people face homelessness this Christmas 18/11/2019 A charity has warned that tens of thousands of young people in England will be homeless or at risk of homelessness this Christmas.
Temporary accommodation costing councils £1bn a year 15/11/2019 A dramatic increase in the amount of money councils spend on temporary accommodation for the homeless is 'shocking yet entirely preventable', according to leading campaigners.
Charities use Tampon Tax to fund homelessness services 07/11/2019 Charities for homeless women have been awarded grants totalling £1.85m funded by money collected from VAT on the sale of sanitary products.
Council makes improvements following death of rough sleeper 24/10/2019 Worcester City Council has implemented all ten recommendations made in an independent review into the death of a rough sleeper in the city.
Nearly £2m awarded to projects improving health services for the homeless 22/10/2019 Nearly £2m has been awarded to six projects as part of an effort to help test models that improve access to health services for people sleeping rough.
How accurate is the annual rough sleeping count? 21/10/2019 With some councils changing from estimating the number of homeless people on the streets to actually counting them, do recent figures genuinely reflect the success of the government's rough sleeping initiative? Neil Merrick investigates.
Fear of homelessness keeping women in ‘dangerous situations’, report finds 17/10/2019 Almost half of women fleeing secure tenancies said that fear of becoming homeless had been a barrier to leaving their abuser, a new study has revealed.
No homeless veterans 14/10/2019 Ed Tytherleigh calls on every single council to identify and refer veterans to appropriate services to ensure there are no homeless veterans.
Homelessness crisis costs London councils £200m a year, report reveals 14/10/2019 The homelessness crisis and inadequate funding are costing local authorities in London an estimated £200m every year, the capital’s councils have warned.
Cost of B&Bs for homeless people rockets 14/10/2019 Councils are being forced to spend more than £90m a year on placing homeless people in bed and breakfasts, council chiefs have warned.
Trial launched into providing a stable home for ex-offenders 11/10/2019 A scheme to give prisoners a place to live when they are released is now being trialled in Leeds, London and Bristol, it has been announced.
A targeted approach to tackle homelessness 10/10/2019 The Government's objective of ending homelessness by 2027 can be achieved through a more targeted and long-term approach, experts told Mark Whitehead.
Creating a real change 10/10/2019 How can local authorities harness the power of alternative giving to provide more funds for tackling homelessness? Ketan Patel reports.
Public call for more investment in housing benefit 10/10/2019 Three quarters of the public believe that housing benefit should increase in line with rents, according to a new poll published to mark World Homeless Day.
Councils join pilot to find data-driven solutions to homelessness 03/10/2019 Three local authorities in Scotland, Wales and England have agreed to join a pilot which aims to help them improve their use of evidence and data in order to tackle homelessness.
Glasgow faces legal battle over homeless services 03/10/2019 Shelter Scotland has launched a legal battle against Glasgow City Council over failures in its homelessness service.
Mayor announces £90,000 to help homeless veterans 02/10/2019 Homeless veterans in Yorkshire are set to receive more support as the mayor of the Sheffield City Region announces £90,000 for a local homelessness charity.
Number of homeless deaths see biggest increase on record 01/10/2019 The number of homeless people dying has increased by 22% in the past year, new figures have revealed today.
Over 3,500 homeless veterans missing out on council support 24/09/2019 Thousands of homeless veterans could be losing out on support and housing available to them, figures reveal as campaign to help homeless veterans is launched.
Casey calls for support to tackle homelessness 16/09/2019 Homelessness expert Dame Louise Casey has issued a call to arms to tackle the rising tide of homelessness around the world.
A household became homeless ‘every four minutes’ last year, figures reveal 12/09/2019 The new Government figures on homelessness in England have revealed the impact of the housing crisis on young people and families.
Domestic abuse survivors face homelessness, charity warns 12/09/2019 A charity has warned that women escaping domestic abuse face the risk of homelessness due to a lack of refuge bed spaces.
Burnham announces £6m for homelessness scheme 09/09/2019 Mayor Andy Burnham has announced a £6m funding package for the second phase of Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night scheme.
Spending Round 2019: Chancellor pledges £1.5bn 'down payment' for social care 04/09/2019 Councils will have access to £1.5bn of new funding for social care next year, the chancellor has announced.
Office for Veterans’ Affairs given £5m funding boost 03/09/2019 The Government has announced a £5m fund boost to help support military veterans.
Charity calls for investment in housing benefit to prevent homelessness 02/09/2019 Restoring the Local Housing Allowance benefit to cover the full cost of rents could stop more than 6,000 households being pushed into homelessness, according to campaigners.
Children growing up in ‘B&Bs and shipping containers’, commissioner warns 21/08/2019 Thousands of children are growing up in unsuitable temporary accommodation, commissioner warns – a state of affairs council chiefs blame on a lack of funding.
Council accused of acting ‘unlawfully’ over housing of homeless people 20/08/2019 Glasgow City Council has been threatened with legal action over its failure to provide homeless people with temporary accommodation.
Nearly one third of homeless fatalities occur in temporary accommodation 14/08/2019 New research has revealed that a person affected by homelessness is dying every 19 hours with nearly a third of fatalities occurring in emergency or temporary accommodation.
Khan announces 200 new homes for rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse 09/08/2019 Up to 200 new homes will be built in London to help former rough sleeps and victims of domestic abuse to leave hostels and refuges.
‘Primary school’s worth’ of children face homelessness this summer 22/07/2019 Next PM told to make homelessness an 'urgent priority' as research finds hundreds of children face being placed into temporary accommodation this summer.
Homeless people denied access to healthcare, study finds 17/07/2019 Homeless people are being denied access to basic healthcare, a new study has revealed.
Benefit freeze ‘fuelling’ homelessness 08/07/2019 The freeze on housing benefits is driving up homelessness in London, the capital’s boroughs have warned.
Council apologises for misinforming homeless teenager about their rights 05/07/2019 Essex County Council has apologised for turning away homeless children from care following a judicial review and has committed to better train its social workers.
Think tank calls for creation of ‘investment state’ 03/07/2019 A think tank has called for an end to austerity and the creation of an ‘investment state’ to help boost economic growth.

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