Our vision for ending homelessness

We believe that in 21st century Britain everyone in every area should have an alternative to sleeping rough and that it is possible to achieve this.

Homeless Link was formed in 2001, taking over the work of the Homeless Network and the National Homeless Alliance.  Our formation coincided with the Government achieving its ambitious target of reducing rough sleeping in the UK by two thirds. Since then we have witnessed the introduction of a new Homelessness Act, a new national homelessness strategy and a successful campaign to end the long-term use of B&Bs for homeless families with children. 

Rough sleeping, while reduced from the past, remains the sharpest form of homelessness in this country. Since 2005 we have been promoting a vision, shared across our membership, of England as a country where we can end rough sleeping and homelessness forever.  In 2006 we launched our huge campaign to end rough sleeping by the time the Olympics come to Britian in 2012.  The link to the 2012 Olympics is crucial. The London 2012 bid made significant promises about the long-term benefits and potential for regeneration that the Games would bring to communities in East London. We have the chance to lead the world on one of the most tangible areas of social justice by building on our world lead in tackling rough sleeping and going on to end it , not just hide it, by the time the Olympics come to London.

In November 2008 we achieved a significant milestone on our journey.  Directly as a result of a 3 year campaign led by Homeless Link and its members, the Government launched No one left out: Communities ending rough sleeping which had cross government support for our vision of ending rough sleeping by 2012.   The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has also pledged his support to this goal. And the Conservative Party committed to ending homelessness when it launched the Homelessness Foundation in 2008.

This progress gives us the confidence to believe that we can achieve our ambition. 

WHAT's NEXT?

 To end homelessness we need public, voluntary and social partnerships to work closely together to:

• Close the door on routes into homelessness
• Provide the right type of quality accommodation and support
• Build on the talents of each individual and inspire them to have the confidence to make the journey out of homelessness forever.