The UK government has today published their definitive plan to end homelessness, a cross-government initiative that will see £3.5Bn of investment over the next three years. The strategy has been devised using expertise from frontline workers, those with lived experience and sector professionals to put together what the government hope will begin to turn the tide in the battle against homelessness, at a time where a family is threatened with or made homeless every five minutes.

The plan is led by three key pledges, all targeted before the end of the current parliament:

• Halve the number of long-term rough sleepers
•  End the unlawful use of B&Bs for families
• Prevent more households from becoming homeless in the first place

The announcement claims these pledges will be underpinned by “clear, ambitious goals for change”, with an emphasis on collaboration between public services. Other measures include increasing the quality and supply of temporary accommodation, and a £1Bn funding boost to support rough sleeping and support services.

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Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:

“Homelessness is one of the most profound challenges we face as a society, because at the heart, it’s about people. Families deserve stability, children need a safe place to grow, and individuals simply want the dignity of a home.

“This strategy is shaped by the voices of those who’ve lived through homelessness and the frontline workers who fight tirelessly to prevent it.

“Through our new strategy we can build a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and not repeated. With record investment, new duties on public services, and a relentless focus on accountability, we will turn ambition into reality.”

The announcement has been met with mixed reception. The measures unveiled are certainly a step in the right direction, but many voices feel an opportunity has been missed for more definitive action given the scale of the crisis. Whilst the acknowledgement of the need for a joined-up approach to homelessness has been received well, charities such as Crisis and Shelter have been critical, claiming there is little in the strategy in the way of concrete steps to help families avoid homelessness.

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Gavin Smart, CIH chief executive said: “We welcome the long-awaited national homelessness strategy and the investment in affordable homes and council support. But given the scale of the homelessness crisis, we need bolder action to turn the tide and ensure everyone has a safe, secure home.

“We’re pleased to see targets to halve long-term rough sleeping, end B&B use for families, and introduce a new duty for public services to prevent homelessness. However, the strategy misses key issues: growing affordability pressures in the private rented sector and the lack of solutions for refugees facing homelessness.

“Government is rightly investing in new affordable homes but they will take time to deliver. Families need help now. With too few social homes, many can only move on if they can afford private rent – which is why unfreezing housing benefit is essential.

“Today’s commitments are a positive start, but we hope to see further action to deliver the long-term change needed.”

Dave Robinson, Assistant Director of Operations at Riverside, said: “We are really heartened to see the government putting prevention at the heart of the new plan.

“Data shows that more than 15,000 people in 2024/25 needed support to relieve or prevent homelessness after departure from a public institution so this measure is long overdue. Increased collaboration is vital if we want to increase the rate of prevention to protect thousands of more people from becoming homeless from an institution.

“At a time when councils spent £2.8bn a year on temporary accommodation the government will need to increase the supply of social housing further, increase funding for supported housing and homelessness services again and not forgetting the valuable contribution floating support makes in all of this.

“Supported housing providers are crying out for more funding to keep their doors open. Last year, a survey of NHF members showed one in three supported housing providers had to close schemes in the previous 12 months because of funding pressures, and three in five were planning to close schemes in the future.

“While we warmly welcome this new funding, we hope to see a speedy resolution to the Treasury’s value for money review on homelessness and supported housing funding, so more supported housing schemes do not have to close their doors too.”