Homeless deserve better than this – Jonathan Webb

IT is hard to imagine the horror of being made homeless during a global pandemic.
The Government is urged to act over homelessness in today's Spending Review.The Government is urged to act over homelessness in today's Spending Review.
The Government is urged to act over homelessness in today's Spending Review.

Yet, for many, this horror has become a reality. While the nation was being told to stay at home to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, thousands of people across Yorkshire were unable to find a safe place to call home.

More than 6,000 households in the region approached their local council for help between April and June because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness. This is not just confined to Yorkshire’s cities – it is a growing problem in rural areas too. As winter begins to bite and a growing jobs crisis looms, the region faces a renewed challenge to prevent a surge in homelessness that could overwhelm councils and force more people onto the streets.

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A ban on evictions and extra support for rough sleepers introduced during the first wave of the pandemic may have protected some, but it has not helped everyone, and a worsening jobs crisis will leave many more unable to cover their housing costs. Research by the charity Crisis shows that many people have in 2020 been experiencing homelessness for the first time.

What more can be done to combat homelessness?What more can be done to combat homelessness?
What more can be done to combat homelessness?

Worryingly, the reasons why people find themselves homeless has changed over the course of the pandemic. New analysis by IPPR North shows that domestic violence and relationship breakdown have risen to be the leading causes of homelessness in Yorkshire and beyond. Central government has promised to provide councils with the financial support they need, but the help so far has been inadequate and many councils are facing unprecedented financial challenges.

The Government’s approach has been defined by short-term interventions and a lack of long-term planning. Even as the virus began its resurgence, Ministers refused to extend the eviction ban beyond September. Thousands of people who have lost their job or seen their earnings tumble will now be receiving an eviction notice this winter. Surely there can be no worse Christmas present?

The pandemic has also seen a huge increase in the number of people stuck in poor quality temporary accommodation that, in many cases, consists of B&Bs, hostels or private sector housing. They must be offered something better. No parent should have to raise their children in a run-down room in a hostel where they are forced to share communal facilities with strangers.

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This increase in temporary accommodation is not just down to the ‘Everyone In’ scheme that took people off the streets and placed them into emergency accommodation. It is also a result of new people finding themselves homeless for the first time.

Analysis by IPPR North shows that compared to the same time last year, the number of households in temporary accommodation increased by a shocking 82 per cent across Yorkshire. This is higher than any other English region and will result in significant new demand on already stretched council services.  Councils need help now so that they
can provide for the growing number of people stuck in temporary accommodation, and break the cycle of homelessness.

In Yorkshire, we must ensure that people are given something better than the current offer of temporary accommodation. A housing first approach would provide a much more effective policy solution. This provides people with high-quality supported housing the moment they are at risk of homelessness.

By ensuring people who are housed also have access to relevant care they might need, such as mental health support, housing first effectively deals with the root causes of homelessness. In Finland this approach has effectively ended homelessness and housing first pilots in England have also proved successful.

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Today’s Spending Review will provide the Government with an opportunity to show us that now is the time to end homelessness for good. Increasing its investment in high quality supported housing for those at risk of homelessness, as well as increasing its investment in social housing, would help ensure that homelessness in Yorkshire becomes a problem of the past.

Without this additional support, the Government’s current investment to end homelessness and fund future accommodation for rough sleepers housed in the pandemic threatens to deliver too little, too late.

Jonathan Webb is a Senior Research Fellow at the IPPR North think-tank. He tweets @jrkwebb.

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