In what amounts to a damning indictment of the government’s record – and a powerful tribute to the late Lord Kerslake – the commission that bears his name has demanded urgent action to tackle homelessness. Mark Cantrell reports
People who are homeless – or at risk of becoming so – are the victims of a cruel cocktail of government policy and indifference, and this urgently needs to change.
That may sound harsh, but the findings of a new report from the Kerslake Commission on Homelessness & Rough Sleeping make it hard to avoid such a stark interpretation.
As the report conveys, a “severe shortage” of affordable housing, and a “lack” of statutory support services, combined with the killer blow of the cost-of-living crisis, is pushing more and more people into homelessness.
They amount to what the commission refers to as “chronic and unresolved” systemic issues that have left Britain exposed to rising homelessness. In essence, the unfortunates swept up into this homelessness crisis are the collateral damage of ministerial failure.
Ministers, like Canute, may not be able to hold back the rising tide of outrageous happenings, of course, but they can take steps to mitigate – or avoid – the worst of it befalling the citizens on whose behalf they’re supposed to govern.
The provision of sufficient affordable – let’s not be coy, social – housing, adequate public services, and measures that can help buffer the impact of rising costs are well within the capability of the State.
Obviously, government can’t smooth out every bump in the road, or neutralise every risk, but it is not entirely powerless in the face of adversity either; it’s a question of political will.
Indeed, as the report – Turning the Tide on Rising Homelessness and Rough Sleeping – highlights, the problem can be successfully dealt with. It’s been done before.
Strong partnership working and a shared purpose made a massive reduction to rough sleeping during the pandemic, the commission points out.
Now it’s time for the government – this current one, and whatever administration takes the reins after next year’s general election – to step up, show some resolve, and take urgent action to address this sorry situation.
Working against the tide
As it is, in the status quo, the report is clear that the government will not meet its goal to end rough sleeping by 2024.
In fact, it says, rough sleeping is on the increase and at the heart of it are those chronic and unresolved systemic issues, which have left the country vulnerable to new pressures.
“He was proud to chair the commission and totally committed to its findings. He would have been vociferous in publishing its conclusions and recommendations.”
The Kerslake Family
The report warns that many of the problems it outlines will not be resolved without a dramatic increase in the supply of social rented housing, and supported housing. Indeed, the commission invokes the ghosts of a grim past, when it likens the scale of the problem as on a par with conditions in the early 20th Century.
Emma Haddad, chief executive of homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said the “dedication” of people working throughout the homelessness sector “shines through” the report, but it “starkly” shows they are “working against the tide”.
“The chronic shortage of affordable housing and appropriate support services means we are just responding to people already in crisis, rather than preventing them from reaching that point in the first place,” she added.
“The recommendations give a clear set of actions to both the current government and the next administration that would make a big difference to tackling rough sleeping and homelessness. They would do well to listen to the expert voices contained in the report.
“We made so much progress on rough sleeping during the pandemic, which clearly demonstrated what can be done when we work together with a shared purpose and dedicated funding. It’s time we applied the same energy to stop this homelessness and rough sleeping crisis spiralling further.”
Legacy
The Kerslake Commission was established to learn the lessons from Everyone In, a report regarded as having formed a blueprint for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.
The commission was steered and directed by Lord Bob Kerslake until his untimely passing in July this year. Its work is inevitably now part of his legacy, from which this latest report has been built.
As Haddad added: “When Bob Kerslake died in July 2023, we lost a staunch ally of the homelessness sector. This report is a tribute to him and his life’s work.”
Latest national official figures show a 26% increase in rough sleeping and the highest rates of people living in temporary accommodation on record. In this latest report, the commission is recommending three key principles that should guide the next government’s approach to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good:
- Prevent people from getting to the brink of homelessness: We need to be preventing people from reaching crisis point and becoming homeless or at risk of homelessness
- No one should need to arrive on to the streets to get help: Where people are at risk of rough sleeping, there should be a cross sector effort to make timely and effective interventions that prevent an episode of rough sleeping
- Everyone should have a route out of rough sleeping: For anyone who is rough sleeping, there needs to be a meaningful and tailored offer which will take them away from the streets for good
The report may well serve as a tribute and legacy to Lord Kerslake, of course, but the most fitting memorial would be to end the scourge of homelessness once and for all.
As the Kerslake family said: “After over 40 years as a public servant, many of which were spent on delivering quality homes and environments, Bob was saddened and dismayed by the rise of homelessness across our country.
“He was proud to chair the commission and totally committed to its findings. He would have been vociferous in publishing its conclusions and recommendations.
“His main focus would have been persuading those who have the power to make positive changes to read this report in depth, then work together to meet those recommendations.
“As his family, we firmly believe that this would be a fitting tribute to a great man who worked tirelessly for the betterment of others.”
Further responses: Let’s turn the tide
Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, responded to the report with a tribute to the late Lord Kerslake, saying he “devoted his life to public service”, was a “consistent ally of the homelessness sector”, and will be “sorely missed”.
Henderson went to say: “Unfortunately, following the success of the pandemic response, the government has allowed homelessness and rough sleeping to rise sharply in the past year, with the availability of support and accommodation for people experiencing homelessness declining as the need increases.
“In the short term, the government must listen to this report and uplift the Local Housing Allowance to help give people on low incomes a more realistic chance to find an affordable place to live, preventing more people from becoming homeless and the strain this places on services.
“In the long-term, it’s clear that the way in which the homelessness support services are funded needs a major overhaul, giving them the stability to embed the kind of consistent, person centred support that we know is most effective in helping people leave homelessness behind.”
Greeting the report, the National Housing Federation (NHF) posted on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s deeply disappointing that Govt will not meet its manifesto commitment to end #RoughSleeping by 2024. To end #Homelessness for good, prevention is key. We urgently need a long-term plan for housing which funds new #SocialHousing and support services.
“Today’s report serves as a tribute to the late Lord Kerslake who was a true advocate for #Homelessness prevention & #SocialHousing. We urge all parties to take necessary steps to ensure no one is without a stable, affordable home We can, and must, do better.”
Speaking on behalf of the local authority sector, Councillor Shaun Davies, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “Councils want to turn the tide of rising homelessness and ensure no one has to sleep rough on our streets; an ambition which Lord Kerslake admirably strived for.
“As this report recommends, we need to prevent people from reaching crisis point in the first place, alongside providing tailored support for those who are already homeless.
“Local Housing Allowance rates should also be urgently reviewed to ensure that at least a third of the market is affordable for people claiming housing related benefits, alongside adequate resources for councils’ homelessness services and a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy.
“As per our six point plan, councils also need to be given the powers and resources to build 100,000 social homes a year to address the national shortage of affordable housing.”
Image credit: RDK2001 – Shutterstock
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