The opportunity to break the cycle
Around 18 months ago, we launched our Breaking the Cycle campaign to hold the new Government to account on its promise to “get back on track to ending homelessness.”
Our members know their potential to help make this vision a reality. But years of stagnant funding and real-terms cuts meant that maintaining even basic support had become incredibly challenging, let alone delivering the evidence-based interventions that we know work.
The result has been years of rising homelessness and a near 50% reduction in bedspaces since 2008. A shocking 48% of accommodation providers told us that they risk scaling back in the face of funding pressures.
The change of Government saw a raft of new opportunities for change, including a Comprehensive Spending Review and the homelessness strategy. This blog offers a recap of the work we have done to influence these and the next steps for our Breaking the Cycle campaign.
What has the Breaking the Cycle campaign called for?
Our asks are focused on four key changes:
- Make ending homelessness the responsibility of all Government departments. All branches of Government should be truly accountable for reducing and preventing homelessness.
- Build a funding system that works to end homelessness. The Treasury should lead a full review of all spending associated with homelessness, then create a single, ringfenced budget to prevent and end homelessness for good.
- Address the homelessness emergency and protect support services from closure. Systemic change is needed, but we also need to ensure services right now are resourced to respond to record levels of homelessness. We need to prioritise preventing closures and cuts to high-quality services.
- Within ten years, deliver system-wide transformation to enable a country free from homelessness. The country needs an ambitious plan based on principles of homelessness prevention and long-term support.
See our Breaking the Cycle briefing for further details.
The progress so far…
With all forms of homelessness reaching record levels this year, we know your services remain under extreme pressure.
But behind the headlines, there are significant changes to celebrate, and we want to say a huge thanks to every Homeless Link member who got involved in the campaign. These are your successes.
The National Plan to End Homelessness lays out the Government’s position and contains a number of wins. This includes an official responsibility to reduce homelessness across government, with a commitment to continue the work of the interministerial group.
Meanwhile the 2025 Autumn Budget announced that the Treasury would lead a Value for Money review into homelessness services, with an explicit aim to improve the quality and supply of supported and temporary accommodation.
We have also seen the introduction of funding reforms and a simplified, ringfenced fund to deliver homelessness services. As this beds in we will monitor its implementation, but we hope it should provide your services with more secure, joined-up funding.
What we still need to secure
The protections to homelessness spending delivered in the Comprehensive Spending Review are welcome, but they are clearly not enough. With levels of demand still rising, and increases to core costs caused by inflation and incoming regulations, we will continue to push the Government for funding settlements that meet the cost of service delivery.
And while the National Plan is a step in the right direction, it falls short on a number of essential policies. There was, for example, no commitment to deliver a national roll-out of Housing First despite recognition of its effectiveness and the evident successes of the pilots. And while the cross-government accountability is welcome, some departments specific commitments – such as the Home Office’s – are notably weak.
You can see our complete analysis of the National Plan to End Homelessness in our reaction blog.
What’s next for Breaking the Cycle?
Going forward, our Breaking the Cycle campaign will have three key focuses.
#1: Ensuring the Value for Money review delivers transformational change: The upcoming Value for Money review of homelessness services is a golden opportunity to articulate the need for fundamental change to the homelessness system. With your support, we plan to outline the problems with business-as-usual and explain the benefits of shifting to a sustainable funding model and a system rooted in prevention and long-term support. This will include showcasing the positive outcomes from investing in effective, evidence-based practice like Housing First, and good quality supported housing. Critically, we will be clear that this review must not be a cost-cutting exercise.
#2: Advocating for the sector to keep our doors open: As homelessness continues to rise, we cannot wait for the outcome of the Value for Money review to see change. We will continue to lobby Government for the resources and funding needed to keep services open, and protect vital bedspaces and critical frontline services.
#3: Holding Government departments to account on their responsibility to prevent and end homelessness:: Much of the responsibility for homelessness prevention sits outside of MHCLG.Proposed Home Office reforms to immigration and citizenship will worsen levels of homelessness, while the Treasury’s continued freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates mean that more and more people are unable to afford their rent. We must see changes to ensure government policies do not lead to a direct increase to homelessness.
How can you get involved?
We are yet to hear details about the consultation process for the Value for Money review, but we will do our best to ensure that members have a seat at the table during any interaction with Treasury
Your contribution to our campaigns has been critical to the successes we’ve had so far. From advocating for local change through to lobbying in Parliament, member actions have been decisive in the campaign’s success so far. Homelessness services have the credibility and the authority to tell their local MPs what needs to change to address homelessness in their local area. For example, a series of MP visits to local services to discuss Breaking the Cycle last year helped build a core of informed support in Parliament, who then put pressure on Ministers to deliver the positive elements of the National Plan to End Homelessness.
To hear about opportunities to have your say, keep an eye on our blog or sign up to our campaigns newsletter.
