Taking a ‘Housing First’ approach to tackling homelessness can be five times as cost effective than current services, a new study has found.
The report, published by Crisis and the Metro Mayor for Liverpool City Region, has called on policymakers to adopt a radical new approach to homelessness.
It found that helping long-term rough sleepers into a home of their own - in conjunction with personalised support - could save the Liverpool City Region up to £4.02m per year by 2023/24.
The current system is failing some of the most vulnerable homeless people, the report argued, with some rough sleepers having as many as ten hostel placements in the past four years.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: ‘This report could have wide ranging consequences for the way we tackle homelessness in Liverpool City Region and across the UK. The evidence is clear: for the most vulnerable rough sleepers, the best approach is to support people into a stable home of their own as soon as possible and shape personalised support around them.
‘It sounds obvious, but for these people, the stability and security of their own front door can be a life changing first step towards recovery. It’s about treating people with dignity and respect, and offering them some sense of control over their lives.’
The report has been welcomed by local government minister, Sajid Javid, who said it provides ‘valuable’ evidence for the new Homelessness Reduction Task Force.
