An all party committee of MPs has called on the Government to devise a joined up, cross-government strategy to prevent homelessness.

Evidence to the committee revealed that across Great Britain, tens of thousands of households approach local authorities for support with homelessness. The number of cases of all forms of homelessness has risen in England, while remaining
steady in Scotland,

Between 2014 and 2016 rough sleeping rose dramatically by over 50% in England. The current safety net is clearly not working as efficiently as it could to prevent and resolve homelessness. The Government recognises this growing emergency.

Homelessness should be rare, brief and non-recurrent. In its first Parliamentary year the committee has developed strong cross-party support and provided a platform for homeless people to engage with Parliamentarians and inform the political dialogue surrounding homelessness.

The goal of the committee is to develop robust policy solutions to prevent and end
homelessness. Preventing homelessness is the focus of the committee, specifically looking at cohorts which are most at risk: care leavers, prison leavers, and survivors of domestic violence

Research revealed that one third of care leavers become homeless in the first two years immediately after they leave care and 25% of all homeless people have been
in care at some point in their lives.

Similarly, housing and homelessness are key issues for survivors of domestic violence. In 2016, 90% of women in refuges were reported to have housing needs and
in 2015/16, 6,550 people became homeless because of a violent relationship breakdown, 11% of all homeless acceptances. In 2015, 35% of
female rough sleepers left their homes due to domestic violence.

Twenty per cent of prisoners surveyed in 2014 said they had no accommodation to go to on release and there are many barriers which can make finding accommodation on release difficult. The committee argues that Departments should work in partnership to audit existing policies and design programmes to specifically support care leavers, prison leavers and survivors of domestic violence.

The committee’s report highlights that many people who are homeless can be readily identified before becoming homeless and local authorities and other local services could have taken action earlier. But the reality is that they slipped through the net.

Evidence presented to the committee shows that changes to the welfare system and
in particular, the introduction of Universal Credit, will have a particular detrimental effect on homelessness.

The committee called on the Government to take action and make the much needed
change to prevent people from becoming homeless. It urges the Government to take steps to prevent and end homelessness for care leavers, prison leavers and
survivors of domestic violence. They recommend that the Government establishes a joined up, cross-government strategy to prevent homelessness.

Departments should work in partnership to audit existing policies and design
programmes to specifically support care leavers, prison leavers and survivors of domestic violence. The committee believes that as Government has committed to putting prevention at the heart of its future working, and with the Homelessness
Reduction Act, and a manifesto commitment to launch a Homelessness Reduction Taskforce; there is an opportunity to bring together national policies and local frontline work to prevent and end homelessness for these cohorts for good.

The report is available here.