MPs examining the homelessness crisis have warned that there is seemingly ‘no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system’.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the number of people being housed in ‘sub-standard, overpriced and at times, wholly inappropriate accommodation’, and the increasing number of homeless households being moved away from their local areas.
In a new report, the committee has urged the Government to produce an overarching homelessness strategy for England, like in the devolved nations, to address a ‘crisis situation’ and incentivise preventative approaches.
The report warns that the Government is not considering the impact on homelessness when making ‘seemingly subjective’ decisions on local housing allowance (LHA) rates, with 45% of households who receive LHA facing a shortfall to pay their rent.
MPs also criticised the Government’s inability to provide assurances about how it would increase the supply of affordable housing.
PAC chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: ‘A lack of affordable housing, a focus on short-term solutions and no clear strategy to tackle this issue have left us with thousands of families in deeply troubling circumstances.
‘Worryingly there seems to be no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system, leaving local authorities attempting to save a sinking ship with a little more than a leaky bucket.’
The Local Government Association’s housing spokesperson, Adam Hug, said there must be ‘a genuine cross-departmental approach to tackling this crisis, as part of a long-term government strategy, with councils given the powers and resources needed to address the national shortage of affordable housing’.
