Link to Homeless

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Published: 02 February 2005

Link to Homeless

The cross-party ODPM Select Committee has called for the Government to launch a major review of how it can end homelessness.

Responding to the report, Homeless Link (the umbrella organisation for the homelessness sector) has welcomed the call as backing many of the recommendations that charity made in its own evidence to the committee.

Homeless Link's Chief Executive Jenny Edwards said
"This report sets out a very clear agenda for the government.

"We are delighted that it takes up many of the proposals that Homeless Link and its members have been calling for.

The Government must now embrace the goal of eradicating homelessness and take urgent action to implement the Committee's recommendations."

The report comes as the ODPM releases its 5-Year Plan and prepares for this week's Sustainable Communities Summit.

The Committee criticises the Government's targets for an embarrassing "lack of ambition" and calls for the ODPM to adopt a commitment to eradicate homelessness.

The Select Committee endorses a range of positions supported by Homeless Link and its members, including:

An urgent review of "priority need" and inclusion of all older people.
An end the inappropriate "gate-keeping" of Local Authority housing stock
A Cost/benefit analysis for ending the ending of the vulnerability test for statutory homelessness
New performance indicator for Councils to ensure they take measures to prevent homelessness
Recognising that homeless people must be a priority for social housing.
Much more ambitious targets to get people out of all types of temporary accommodation.
Health Trusts to be required to produce strategies to deliver services to homeless people.

Ms Edwards added:
"The ODPM's 5 year Plan looked like it might have left homeless people behind.

This report shows that homelessness has not been solved and that radical action is urgently needed to end it once and for all."

Key quotes from the reports conclusion include:

"The growing pressure in temporary accommodation needs urgent attention, and investment."
"We regard the provision of new social housing as an absolute priority for the Government. This problem will not go away; indeed, it may get much worse."
"Authorities seem to look for reasons to turn people away rather than to help; there are suspicions that 'gate-keeping' is getting tougher to keep the number of acceptances down because authorities cannot cope with the demand."
"Although ODPM……has set long-term targets for reducing the numbers in temporary accommodation, these almost embarrassingly lack in ambition."
"For most homeless people, given the high rate of poverty, unemployment and vulnerability, their housing need will only be met through an increase in the supply of social rented housing. This is the area where the Government's housing policy seems to have achieved least so far, yet it is the area where need and social justice demand that the priority should lie."