A new report produced in partnership by the Institute for Government and Centre for Homelessness Impact has made the argument that homelessness spending needs to start pivoting towards preventative measures, rather than reactive.
The report argues the long-term benefits of preventative measures in a bid to tackle rising levels of homelessness will prove more effective than the current reactionary-based model, although it does also concede that side by side analysis of the two approaches is difficult given the context. To make up for this lack of concrete comparison, the report draws on case studies and international examples in which preventative measures have emerged as a vital weapon in reducing homelessness.
The upcoming spending review is highlighted as a defining moment for the UK’s approach to tackling homelessness, and two key recommendations are put forwards. The first, that the government must pivot away from cost-heavy reactive measures, and invest in upstream prevention of homelessness. The second recommendation is for homelessness prevention to be made a shared responsibility across all arms of the state, rather than only the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
To further these strategic changes, the document also calls for the government to consider a £100 million Preventing Homelessness Endowment, functioning as a strategic investment fund, driving innovation and scaling proven preventative solutions.
The document outlines the social and fiscal benefits to allocating increased funding towards prevention, as well as looking at current trends in prevention spending and the key barriers standing in the way of a preventative heavy approach.
Some of it’s key recommendations are:
The government should develop a unified vision for prevention, with success measures: In order to find success in bringing an end to homelessness, a clear goal and timeline must be established in order to evaluate the effectiveness of both preventative and reactive measures.
The government should protect the UK’s social safety net as a primary instrument of prevention: The UK’s social safety net, in particular the NHS and the welfare system, should be recognised and acknowledged as a key preventative tool in the battle against homelessness.
The 1.5 million new homes target must include much more social and affordable housing: The government has made bold strides to accelerate the development of new housing through planning reforms and incentives. It should explore other evidence-based measures to stabilise or reduce rents in high-demand areas.
MHCLG should explore a new tenure model for families needing lengthy homelessness assistance: MHCLG should explore the case for developing a new type of tenure for residents currently placed in housing classed as temporary accommodation, especially property that local authorities own or operate, that is of a good standard and conforms to funding rules but offers greater stability to residents, especially families with children.
The full report can be found here: chi0525.pdf
A human issue needs human solutions
Housing Executive has previously drawn attention to international successes in tackling homelessness as potential inspiration for policies here in the UK. We interviewed Teija Ojankoski from Finland’s Y-Foundation previously, discussing Finland’s profound success that saw homelessness levels drop by 40% between 2019 and 2022 alone. Speaking to Teija shed light on Finland’s holistic approach, that focused on psychological support, mandatory housing and de-stigmatisation. Equally important to Finland’s housing first approach is education and prevention, an international success story that lends gravity to the recommendations of the report we see here.
Speaking to Teija, it was clear that the first and perhaps most important step to eradicating homelessness, was to establish the crisis as a human, rather than an economic one. Finland’s housing first approach was put to government by a council that included politicians, economists, doctors, psychologists, and even a priest. This starting point of approaching homelessness with a 360 degree view, not only thinking about housing the homeless but also the lengthy support they would need afterwards, is vital.
The UK as a country has a clear and deeply embedded class issue. Social housing residents face overwhelmingly negative stigmatisation, and this stigma becomes even more dehumanising for the homeless population. In Finland, the housing first system faced resistance at first as politicians and community voices raised concerns over the homeless being housed within their areas, and feared rampant anti-social behaviour and crime. However, as the system took effect and Finland’s homeless population were not only found mandatory housing, but also given the support they needed for both their mental and physical health, these individuals quickly began making their first steps towards reintegrating into society.
Homelessness is not a global issue, at least not at the scale we are witnessing here in the UK. Urgent reform is needed, and the beginning of that reform needs to start with establishing and understanding two key stances. One, is that housing is a right, not a privilege. This is not to say that people should be able to access a luxury property through no hard work of their own, but simply having safe shelter should not be considered a privilege by the people of the UK.
The second is that homelessness does not erase humanity. The homeless population in the UK faces such stigma and dehumanisation that there needs to be a significant societal shift in how we view the homeless, and how we view homelessness solutions. The idea that our homeless are drug addicts, alcoholics and otherwise unsavoury characters, that if relocated or housed would cause disruption and crime in the chosen areas, is tired. Homelessness is a traumatic, devastating condition to be in, but with the current cost-of-living and housing crisis, it is one that many people find themselves one or two bad months away from. The homelessness crisis should be approached with a holistic, compassionate approach, that starts with shifting away from the negative stigma surrounding homelessness.
