Pictured: Rick Henderson and Florence Eshalomi MP at a Homeless Link event in Parliament
Florence Eshalomi has been officially confirmed as the new Government Minister with responsibility for homelessness. Homeless Link welcomes her to the role, as she takes up the position from her predecessor Alison McGovern MP.
Florence Eshalomi has a long-standing interest in homelessness, both personal and politically. The MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green spent time in temporary accommodation as a child, and after becoming an MP became the Co-Chair of the Ending Homelessness All-Party Parliamentary Group.
In her previous role as Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, she has also provided regular informed critique and analysis of Governments’ performance on ending and preventing homelessness.
Homeless Link has also spoken directly with the new Minister on a number of occasions about concerns facing our members, including most recently at our Parliamentary event in late June.
Welcoming the Minister to her new position, Homeless Link CEO Rick Henderson comments:
“Florence is someone with a strong track record of working closely with all organisations committed to ending homelessness, and we are really looking forward to continuing to collaborate with her in her new role as Minister for Homelessness.”
“The new Minister will know better than most the scale of the challenge ahead. Record numbers in temporary accommodation. Extremely high levels of people sleeping rough. All causing untold damage to people’s lives, health, and future.”
“But having spoken with so many of our members over the years, Florence will also know that the commitment and expertise of frontline services means change is possible. The raised ambitions of Government in recent weeks have been extremely welcome. To turn those ambitions into action, Government now needs to empower and resource those frontline services.”
“The commitments from the new Prime Minister to end rough sleeping and to adopt a national housing first philosophy mean the next few years could a historic period in which we finally break the cycle of rising homelessness. Homeless Link and our members will do everything we can to help the new Minister – and her colleagues across Government – achieve this.”
