No-one turned away: Crisis publishes a review of homelessness legislation
Today saw the formal launch, hosted by Flick Drummond MP, of a timely independent review of homelessness legislation, published by the national charity Crisis. It’s timely because homelessness in most of its forms – at least those forms that can be counted – has been rising for several years. While rough sleeping is the most visible and harmful manifestation, every aspect of homelessness is unpleasant, dangerous and leads to substantial financial costs to government, as Crisis CEO Jon Sparkes put it.
Current homelessness legislation offers very little to single homeless people (a term which also includes couples without dependent children). This has meant that for years, single homeless people have often been offered little in the way of prompt, effective help. Aside from the numbers, which tell their own story, the human side of this was explored in detail by Crisis in their earlier report, Turned Away.
Revolving Doors is interested in homelessness for a number of reasons. We know from London data (the most robust data currently available in England) that there is very high prevalence of mental ill health, drug misuse and alcohol misuse among rough sleepers in London. Almost a third of rough sleepers contacted by outreach teams in 2014-15 had experience of prison, and we know from research that housing needs among the prison population are high pre- and post-custody, and that being homelessness prior to custody is associated with higher reoffending rates. We know from our report A Good Life that having secure and stable housing is important for people trying to exit the revolving door of crisis and offending.
The expert panel convened by Crisis has done an admirable job of producing a ready-made legislative solution, drawing on experience in Scotland and Wales, both of which have taken strides towards addressing single homelessness. Broadly, these are:
- Intervene earlier to prevent homelessness
- Provide a robust package of support and assistance for single homeless people
- Enforce homelessness legislation effectively
Beneath these headings sit detailed sets of proposals that are worth reading with care, as is the flow chart Crisis has helpfully produced to accompany it (homelessness legislation and processes are far from straightforward).
MPs from both main English parties were present. Marcus Jones, Minister for Housing, and John Healey MP, Shadow Minister for Housing, both spoke at the launch. Jones emphasised the importance of early intervention and protecting the vulnerable, while Healey offered Labour’s support, adding that homelessness may move from being a niche issue into the mainstream if the levels, harms and visibility of homelessness continue to rise.
As it stands, however, the government will not be adopting the draft legislation prepared by Crisis, who are now hoping that a backbencher might be found to take it forward as a private member’s bill. The presence of so many MPs today, and the degree of interest that clearly exists, gives some grounds for optimism that there may be scope for a legislative change to help all homeless people.
To find out more about the Crisis No One Turned Away campaign, please see:https://community.crisis.org.uk/no-one-turned-away/home
