Rough sleeping is ‘a source of national shame’ that must be fixed, say MPs

England is experiencing a rough-sleeping emergency and the rising number of people sleeping rough is a source of national shame, says the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee in a letter to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State, and Rushanara Ali, Minister for Homelessness and Democracy, published today (Friday).

[The embargoed letter is attached]

The Committee's short inquiry finds that the number of people sleeping rough is not only high but has increased in recent years with the Committee writing to the Secretary of State to outline a series of steps the Government could take to turn the tide on rough sleeping.

Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “The shocking levels of rough sleeping on our streets should be a source of national shame. The seriousness of the rough sleeping emergency must act as a spur to Government action which prioritises prevention and which brings forward the right investment and support to fix this crisis.

“The success of the 'Everyone In' policy during the pandemic shows it's possible to end rough sleeping. Building more social and genuinely affordable housing will be crucial to any long-term solution but we must also address the immediate housing need for those who are rough sleeping. We must also improve the delivery of joined-up support for those with long-standing health and addiction issues to help them get back on their feet.

“I urge the Inter-Ministerial Group on Tackling Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to take on board the Committee's recommendations and to deliver on the Government's commitment to turn the tide on homelessness”.

The Committee was told by witnesses, including council and homeless charity representatives, how the increasing cost of rents was being exacerbated by historical decisions to freeze the Local Housing Allowance, the prevalence of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, and by the five-week wait for the first Universal Credit payment “which can further entrench poverty.”

The Committee calls on the Government to take concrete steps to address the emergency, including bringing forward measures to help people sustain tenancies in the face of rising rents and the broader cost of living crisis, including ending Section 21 evictions through the passage of the Renters' Rights Bill as soon as possible.

The Committee also recommends the Government review the welfare assistance that those on low incomes can receive, including ensuring that Universal Credit (UC) payments meet the costs of essentials, and that the Government looks to end the 5-week waiting period for those in receipt of UC.

The Committee's emphasis on prioritising funding for prevention leads it to recommend a shift to a smaller number of longer-term funding streams, which should be more cost-effective and enable councils to better plan support services.

Further, the inquiry heard that charities and local authorities often struggle to house people presenting as homeless because they do not have access to sufficient accommodation to house everyone. Councils described a situation where the stock of housing available to them has dwindled over the decades due to their inability to replace homes “lost” to the private rented sector as a result of the Right to Buy policy.

To help address this, the Committee recommends the building of more social and genuinely affordable housing as part of its ambition to build 1.5 million new homes, suggesting the Government consider including a specific sub-target for these types of tenures.

The Committee also proposes the Government set out a plan specifically for the rejuvenation of supported housing to help support individuals away from the streets and into permanent tenancies. Additionally, the Committee recommends restoring funding for supported housing services previously provided by the Supporting People programme.

The Committee's inquiry looked at previous approaches to tackle rough sleeping and the effectiveness of initiatives such as the ‘Housing First' strategy, and comes forward with recommendations on access to support, joined-up working, and on collecting robust data to help deliver better services to prevent rough sleeping and mitigate its impacts.

Finally, the Committee recommends the Government review the appropriateness of guidance which councils have regard to when fulfilling their statutory housing duties, including the use of the concept of “intentional homelessness”; local connection tests and priority needs assessments. It does so having heard evidence of some councils using these as a way to “gatekeep” much needed support from those at risk of sleeping rough.

ENDS

Further information

1. Given the scope of the Committee's overall work, the Committee's inquiry was focussed on homelessness issues in England.

The Committee questioned Rushanara Ali MP, Minister for Homelessness and Democracy, on 21 January 2024. The Committee also held an oral evidence session on 12 November 2024, where MPs heard from Lord John Bird and a range of witnesses, including homelessness charities, experts and local government representatives. We also conducted a visit to William Collier House, the YMCA's supported housing unit in Brighton, on 10 December 2024 (see visit note) where  MPs spoke to people with experience of rough sleeping and heard participants talk about a range of issues relating to rough sleeping such as the personal and structural factors involved, including the high cost of housing and lack of suitable temporary accommodation, and the challenges of getting support.

2. What do we mean by “rough sleeping”? The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government defines rough sleeping as:

• People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the street, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments).
• People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or “bashes” which are makeshift shelters often comprised of cardboard boxes).

This definition does not include: people in hostels or shelters; people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest; squatters or travellers.

3. The Government's official “snapshot” from autumn 2023 was of 3,898 people sleeping rough on a single night in 2023 (in England), up from 3,069 in autumn 2022 and 2,443 in autumn 2021. This number was estimated to be 1,768 in 2010. Incidences of rough sleeping are notably high in inner-city local authority areas, with the large majority being men and a notable proportion being born outside of the UK (DLUHC, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2023 [infographic], 29 February 2024).

These figures may not reflect a complete picture of rough sleeping, with the Government acknowledging that: “Accurately estimating the number of people sleeping rough within a local authority is inherently difficult given the hidden nature of rough sleeping” and the impact of weather on the night of, and leading up to, the taking of the snapshot. This data also does not include that of “hidden homeless” groups, such as those sofa surfing.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee scrutinises the spending, policies and administration of the government department for Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is not a government committee but a select committee of the House of Commons with a key role in holding ministers to account. Any of our inquiries would correctly be described as a ‘parliamentary inquiry' and not a ‘government inquiry'.