To mark World Homelessness Day, Homeless Link has handed in a series of letters to Government Ministers responsible for shaping the new Homelessness Strategy.
Almost one year since the creation of the Interministerial Group on Tackling Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, Ministers and their officials are continuing to work to develop the strategy.
In handing in the letter to each Department, we urged Ministers to ensure their Department fully engages with the strategy development process, and pro-actively looks at how they can end and prevent homelessness through their work.
Embedding true accountability for addressing homelessness across all arms of government is a key ask of our latest Breaking the Cycle campaign briefing, which was shared with Ministers in our letter.
As our briefing sets out, this coordinated, cross-government action will be critical to the twin missions the strategy must deliver: an emergency response to spiralling rates of homelessness, and an ambitious, resourced plan to build a system fit to end homelessness.
In the letter, Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, states:
“I send this letter on World Homelessness Day, which should serve as a moment to remember something too often overlooked: we are in a homelessness and rough sleeping emergency.”
“You are all responsible for shaping the Government’s upcoming Homelessness Strategy, and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a strategy which is desperately needed. Because by any measure, the current approach is failing.”
“We need to create a policy environment that stops the rapid rise of homelessness. If we’re serious about building a country without homelessness, that goal must be a core part of your work and every person in your team.”
“I urge you, on behalf of 750+ Homeless Link members providing frontline homelessness services, to create, implement, and fully embrace a truly cross-government Homeless Strategy that moves us beyond the homelessness crisis for good.”
