The North Swindon MP and Work & Pensions Minister, Justin Tomlinson, has welcomed the news that thousands of rough sleepers will be offered rapid specialist assessments and support, under a new rough sleeping strategy announced by the Government this week.
The strategy will be backed by a £100m investment, and aims to fulfil the Government’s ambition to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027.
The key focus of the plans will be to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place, putting an emphasis on swift, targeted support to help rough sleepers off the streets and into long term accommodation.
Developed across Government in conjunction with charities and experts, it lays out a 3-pronged approach to tackling rough sleeping, including:
- preventing rough sleeping by providing timely support to those at risk
- intervening to help people already on the streets get swift, targeted support
- helping people recover, find a new home quickly and rebuild their lives
Plans outlined in the strategy include:
Preventing rough sleeping by providing timely support to those at risk.
For example:
- piloting suitable accommodation and tailored for those leaving prison so they don’t end up on the streets
- researching the nature and scale of LGBT homelessness to determine what measures need to be put in place to prevent this
- extending the Homelessness Reduction Act to ensure that more people get the help they need faster
Intervening to help people already on the streets to get swift, targeted support.
For example:
- rolling out a new initiative to help up to 6,000 people who are both new to the streets and vulnerable to rough sleeping, offering support to rapidly identify issues that led them to sleeping rough
- introducing ‘navigators’ – specialists who will act as trusted confidantes – who will help people sleeping rough access the appropriate services and accommodation
- up to £30 million for mental health treatment, informed by the findings of a health provision audit to be carried out this year
- providing training for frontline staff on how to best help people under the influence of Spice and those who are victims of domestic abuse and modern slavery, as well as how best to support homeless LGBT people
Helping people recover, find a new home quickly and rebuild their lives.
For example:
- building affordable accommodation for those leaving hostels and domestic abuse refuges, and to support them in managing this accommodation.
- investing money from dormant bank accounts into housing for those on the streets or at risk of rough sleeping
- launching a new fund to help up to 5,000 former rough sleepers and those at risk to sustain their tenancies by working with them to boost financial independence and access training and employment opportunities
- launching a £50 million fund for homes outside London for people ready to move on from hostels or refuges but need additional support
The announcement builds Justin’s work at the Department of Work & Pensions to ensure that people who are homeless are able to quickly & easily access support through Universal Credit.
In a piece for Inside Housing, Justin explained that if a person doesn’t have a fixed address they can register their hostel or temporary accommodation as their address, and if they’re rough sleeping they can use the job centre address. In addition, job centre staff will work to assist an individuals to prioritise accommodation as well as work.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “I am very pleased to see that the Government is following through on its pledge to eliminate rough sleeping within the next 10 years. This is an ambitious plan, which will bring together charities and experts who are best placed to ensure that people are provided with support before the find themselves sleeping rough. This Government has rightly committed to ending homelessness, and Universal Credit can be an important and effective tool in achieving this. I want to see people who are homeless getting the support they’re entitled to, moving into a home and eventually supporting themselves through work.”
