Recommendations from people with lived experience for the cross-Government homelessness strategy
The Government has released its long-awaited homelessness strategy, pledging £3.5bn of investment and a cross-Government plan to prevent homelessness before it occurs.
The National Expert Citizens Group (NECG) were closely involved in the development of the strategy. Alongside national homelessness charities Groundswell and JustLife Foundation, NECG members with lived experience of homelessness came together to co-produce and convene a series of forums, contributing insights about their personal experiences of homelessness and the importance of prioritising this devastating issue.
“What needs to be considered is the traumatic experience of being homeless. And that doesn’t stop the moment you come out of homelessness […] Even if you didn’t have mental health issues going into homelessness, you are guaranteed 100 million percent [sic].” – Forum participant
We are pleased to see their voices reflected throughout the strategy, including through the joint foreword they have written, making it clear that homelessness is more than a much-neglected policy problem – for NECG members and thousands of others, it’s something more personal. We are immensely proud of the NECG members who contributed to this strategy, and whose courage, drive and commitment continue to shape change.
