Press Release

Moving on moves up the housing agenda

21 NOVEMBER 2006

- Housing Corporation acknowledgement of need to tackle homelessness welcomed -

Homeless Link, the umbrella group for organisations working with homeless people, today welcomed the Housing Corporation’s new push to increase the part housing associations play in tackling and preventing homelessness.

The Housing Corporation’s new strategy ‘Tackling Homelessness’ (1), launched today, says that housing associations should consider preparing ‘homelessness action plans’ and that these plans include ‘move on’ to get residents of hostels and supported housing into their own homes. Associations should also appoint senior ‘homelessness champions’ and do more to help local authorities deliver their homelessness strategies.

Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link, said:

'We are pleased that the Housing Corporation has recognised the importance of move on in their strategy. Housing associations are key to resolving this problem, which leaves people stuck for years in hostels and prevents others from leaving the street. We now hope that move on will be made a priority in the next round of the Housing Corporation’s National Affordable Housing Programme and will receive the investment it needs.'

Research by Homeless Link suggests that 45 per cent of available places in hostels are occupied by people who are ready to move on, but have nowhere to go. (2) The group estimates that the number of social homes currently offered to hostels needs to more than double if the backlog is to be addressed. (3) From a purely financial point of view, failure to address this problem makes no sense as people are trapped in costly hostels receiving support they no longer need. It also can undermine the good work done to help people move away from homelessness. While the government has set a target to halve the number of statutory homeless households in temporary accommodation many people in hostels are not included in the figures.

The new strategy also calls on housing associations to raise their game in preventing homelessness, saying that they should put in place procedures to provide people with the support they need, seek to sustain tenancies and make eviction a last resort

Commenting on prevention, Jenny Edwards said:

'Our ending homelessness campaign calls for a national plan to halve evictions. The Housing Corporation has made it clear that housing associations must make preventing homelessness a core priority. This will make a big contribution to achieving that goal.'

 

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