Ending homelessness and rough sleeping

Acting locally

In December 2006, on the 40th anniversary of Cathy Come Home, Homeless Link launched Ending Homelessness: From Vision to Action, a campaign pamphlet for politicians of all parties and for everyone involved in making change happen.  Four years on Homeless Link launched its manifesto for change - Ending Homelessness Together:  10 Years, Ten Steps, 1 Ambition. 

The manifesto recognises that there has been significant progress in tackling homelessness, but that a refreshed approach is required if we are to see an end to homelessness in our lifetime.  Homeless Link continues to campaign for an end to rough sleeping by 2012 as a critical milestone on the path to ending homelessness once and for all. 

Ending homelessness & rough sleeping

All our current projects are directly associated with ending rough sleeping by 2012 or activity designed to prevent people becoming homeless at key transition points.  You can also find out about our crucial work with the London Delivery Board on ending rough sleeping in the capital.

No one should be without shelter in 21st century Britain:  sign our petition and show your support for our campaign to end rough sleeping by 2012. 

Cross ministerial working group on homelessness

The aim of the Ministerial Working Group is to prevent and reduce homelessness, and improve the lives of those people who do become homeless. By bringing the relevant Government departments together to share information, resolve issues and avoid unintended policy consequences, we will be able to help enable communities to tackle the multi-faceted issues that contribute to homelessness.

In conjunction with Richard Blakeway from the Mayor's Housing Department and Leslie Morphy, CEO of Crisis, Jenny Edwards, Chief Executive of Homeless Link presented to the above group in October.  The focus of the meeting was as follows:

  • There is a long record of Conservative support for ending rough sleeping going back to 1990 when Sir George Young, as Housing Minister, launched the first systematic Government attempt to help people sleeping on the streets through the Rough Sleepers' Initiative. It invested in dedicated accommodation for former rough sleepers, which offered a route away from the streets. Many of the cardboard cities, for which Britain was renowned, gradually disappeared as inhumane “spike” accommodation was closed and much of the emergency homelessness provision was transferred from the state to the voluntary sector.  Much has been achieved since then, so it is right that this government owns the challenging goal of ending rough sleeping by 2012.
  • Prevention is vital.  Jenny referred to her recent trip to Paris where the lack of prevention activity at transition points is impacting on the rough sleeping problem there.
  • The big risk to achieving the goal is the number of EU10s who are rough sleeping.  This may get worse when the transitional arrangements come off in April/May 2011.  The latest CHAIN figures show that 26% of rough sleepers are from CEE countries.

Jenny called for all government departments represented (8) to make our client group visible in their departmental strategies - particularly asking them to 'homeless proof' their strategies so areas don't cause homelessness unintentionally.  We'll work with them to ensure strategies are joined up across all departments. You can read the specific asks to the inter ministerial group here.

A small working group, including St Mungo's and St Basil's has been set up to take forward the suggestions made at this meeting.  You can read the minutes of the meeting and see who sits on the group here

Letters and briefings to ministers

Ending homelessness in Europe

We work closely with FEANTSA to campaign to end homelessness in Europe.