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ePolitix.com speaks to Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link ahead of its Conservative Party conference fringe event.
Explaining what the key issues are for Homeless Link to address at party conference, Edwards says the aim is to help people recognise that homelessness isn’t just discussing "the lack of a roof."
"People who are homeless, particularly those who may have been on the street or are vulnerable to that have a whole accumulation of issues," she says.
"In some cases that has led to their homelessness and made them vulnerable and in other cases those are things that they have picked up as a result of their homelessness."
Edwards says the key aim she hopes to get across is the detailed evidence Homeless Link has obtained from audits of the health of 700 homeless people, which shows the level of health needs that they have.
Run in conjunction with St Mungo's and the National Housing Federation, panellists are set to discuss the social and financial benefits of treating homelessness as a health issue and the forthcoming changes to the Public Health service from the coalition government.
Discussing the use of a joined up approach to ensure the end to homelessness, Edwards says a lot has been achieved in drawing services together and through investment in the whole "places of change" approach.
She explains how this involved going beyond providing people with a roof and safety until they got more permanent accommodation and has actually moved on to skills, health care and pre-employment work – "a lot of work which has actually helped a wide number of people get out of homelessness".
Edwards points to the establishment of an inter ministerial working group which she hopes will bring a "fresh opportunity to help address this issue, as well as some fresh challenges given the spending situation".
Looking towards the new Parliament, she says this is a "really pivotal moment" as there are so many areas of change, representing "some really important opportunities to think through things in a fresh way".
"So obviously we hope to minimise the risks and take advantage of those opportunities," she says.
"On the negative side of course people are worried about the spending review and what it means with local government commissioning of services and what it means in terms of housing benefit and how that plays in to homelessness or preventing homelessness."
On a positive side, Edwards says there is some "really fresh thinking" from the government on the criminal justice system, on addiction, on areas of health.
Looking towards the pending public sector cuts, she says it will be hard to predict the overall pattern and its impact on homelessness.
"I mean obviously they are very deep and all areas potentially could experience funding reductions of the like we haven’t seen," she says.
"Despite that there have been very senior level expressions of commitment that it shouldn’t effect the most vulnerable."
Edwards believes the problem is in real term decisions on the ground in different areas that plays out in all sorts of ways.
She states: "If we are in an age where there is not top down accountability and local areas are not being instructed what to do – then how do we have bottom up accountability that will make sure those cuts don’t hit the most vulnerable?
"Nobody will know not only until the spending review is over but until local decisions are made. Then we will see if the rhetoric about protecting the vulnerable has that made a difference."
On the bid to end rough sleeping by 2012, Edwards says it remains possible but is "very challenging".
She acknowledges: "I think it is very important that we as a society draw a line and say whatever the circumstance, whatever we as a society have to do. That we are not going to go back to cardboard cities, tent cities.
"Because otherwise there is no limit, where are we going to end up? I think we have to put a marker down and say, we are a civilised society and whatever we have to do, we will do.
"So I am hanging onto it!"
Edwards notes that homelessness "doesn’t only depend on house building, it depends on a whole other range of things to help people maintain their home".
She argues that if at the moment there is going to be dip in the house building then there must be investment elsewhere to prevent it.
"Because we know in the long term the cost will be much greater if we fail – so we have to succeed."
Edwards says the key hope from Homeless Link is to help those who have made the transition out of homelessness and have got work, to succeed.
And not to hit them with potentially having to move and potentially then not being able to sustain where their work is.
Secondly she urges the government to avoid inadvertently hitting the income of the charities that are there as a safety net.
She adds: "Because if you take the safety net away, what is left?"
Topic: Homelessness is a health issue: saving lives and saving money
Date: Sunday 3 October
Time: 1230 - 1400
Venue: Hyatt Hotel
Chair: David Orr, chief executive, National Housing Federation
Speakers
Grant Shapps MP, Housing and local government minister
Jenny Edwards, chief executive, Homeless Link
Peter Cockersell, director of health and recovery, St Mungo's
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