Homelessness


Councils have 'serious concerns' over protecting rough sleepers this winter 24/11/2020 Some councils will face the 'difficult choice' of leaving people to sleep rough or placing them in unsafe accommodation this winter, a new report has warned.
Councils worried about long-term impact of pandemic on homelessness 20/11/2020 Councils have recognised the positive effects of Government policy on homelessness during the pandemic, but are concerned these are only ‘temporary’ measures.
Over half of teachers have worked with homeless children, study reveals 18/11/2020 More than half of state teachers (56%) have worked with homeless children in the past three years, a new study has revealed.
Councils asked to review rough sleeping plans 05/11/2020 Councils have been asked to review their plans and ensure every rough sleeper is offered somewhere safe to go to help protect them from COVID-19.
Crisis call for return of Everyone In 04/11/2020 The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has called for ring-fenced funding for councils to provide COVID-safe accommodation for anyone at risk of rough sleeping.
Funding allocated for thousands of new homes for rough sleepers 29/10/2020 More than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers will be delivered by the end of March 2021, the Government has pledged.
Rural homelessness doubles in past two years, campaigners warn 28/10/2020 Homelessness in rural areas has more than doubled since 2018, new research from campaigners has warned.
New guidance to prevent care leavers becoming homeless 26/10/2020 Councils have been urged to identity care leavers that are at risk of becoming homeless, in new guidance published today.
Charity blasts cost of 'shoddy and expensive' temporary accommodation 23/10/2020 Councils in England spent £1.2bn on providing temporary accommodation for homeless households in 2019/20, figures have revealed.
Calls to invest £900m in ‘transitional supported housing’ 15/10/2020 The Government has been urged to invest £900m to ensure the UK’s most ‘invisible’ vulnerable people have access to supported housing by a think tank.
Councils secure £10m to help homeless people this winter 13/10/2020 Councils will receive a new £10m Cold Weather Fund to help rough sleepers stay safe this winter.
Warning that homeless people will die this winter without action 08/10/2020 The Government has been urged to provide self contained accommodation for homeless people this winter to protect them from coronavirus by charities and health bodies.
Black people three times more likely to experience homelessness, figures reveal 02/10/2020 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are being disproportionately impacted by homelessness, new figures have revealed.
Councils call for investment to tackle key drivers of homelessness 28/09/2020 Councils have stopped nearly a quarter of a million households from becoming homeless since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) in 2018, a review has found.
Hundreds of homeless lives saved by emergency accommodation, researchers find 25/09/2020 More funding and emergency legal changes are ‘critical’ so local authorities can continue to support people in safe and secure accommodation, the chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has said.
Councils urged to combine employment support into homelessness services 21/09/2020 Personalised support from councils could help twice as many people stay in employment, a new paper has argued.
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.

How local authorities can unlock the potential of data

Dan Thompson explores how local authorities can tap into the value of the data at their fingertips.

Future affordable housing must deliver big on space

Local authorities are under pressure to deliver more affordable housing but while the focus is largely on quantity, this shouldn’t come at the expense of quality, writes Jonathan Pearson.

Most Popular News

PM publishes ten point plan for 'green industrial revolution'

Over half of councils face financial failure without spending review funding[...]

Council raises £1m for solar panels through ‘community investment’

Local government 'must have parity' with NHS on pay

District council workers agree to strike next month

Products

NEW PRODUCTS: New easy to install Cycle Lane Separator Bollards

CASE STUDIES: Lambeth Council rewards APCOA Parking for outstanding service delivery

COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Damp diagnostic a ‘game changer’ for property care

Workforce Transformation Lead - Academy of Public Health

£53,928 - £60,396 Per Annum

We are looking for a self starter who can work independently and problem solve where required. Colindale, London (Greater)

Recuriter: Barnet London Borough Council

Residential Manager

£34,728 - £36,922 per annum

Exciting opportunity to manage a Residential Children’s Home for up to 4 children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Kirklees, West Yorkshire

Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Rehabilitation Officer

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

£32,301- £35,949 per annum

We are looking for an experienced Visually Impaired Rehabilitation Officer to share our values and commitment and passion for... Kensington and Chelsea, London (Greater)

Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Compliance Administrator

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

£28,452 to £34,479 per annum

The role will include providing administrative support on fire safety, energy efficiency and responsibility for... London (Greater)

Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Public Health Practitioner Programme Manager - Academy of Public Health Post 2

£39,867 - £44,790 Per Annum

We are looking for a self starter who can work independently and problem solve where required. Colindale, London (Greater)

Recuriter: Barnet London Borough Council

Public Property

This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.

The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.