Homeless Link is proud to join forces with Inside Housing, launching the Reset Homelessness campaign, which calls for a systemic review of homelessness funding in England, ahead of the Labour government’s first Spending Review in the spring.
As part of this, Inside Housing will be reporting on the funding crisis, and how it is impacting service providers and the homeless people they work with. Launching this new initiative, we have published five feature articles ahead of the holiday season, a time of year when the homeless crisis is anticipated to get worse for many people, with support services coming under increased strain.
The original launch feature can be read here:
Reset Homelessness: ‘The system cannot continue as it is’
Inside Housing and Homeless Link’s new campaign, Reset Homelessness, calls for a systemic review of homelessness funding in England. But how has spending on the homelessness crisis gone so wrong? Jess McCabe reports
Member opinion pieces
As part of the campaign, our members are contributing a series of opinion pieces to illustrate the variety of ways in which the current funding system is not fit for purpose.
We must end the revolving door between homelessness and hospitals
Dee O’Connell, director of policy and programmes at charity Pathway writes that healthcare spending on people facing homelessness is very costly but is achieving very little.
Proper funding for high-quality supported housing is needed to fully meet people’s needs
Adequate funding for housing and support is essential to meeting the complex needs of our residents, writes Mark Grant, chief executive of Action Homeless.
Enhanced housing benefit is putting some supported housing charities at risk
The funding cuts and restrictions facing supported housing charities is putting people’s lives at risk, writes Tom Neumark, chief executive at Porchlight.
Youth homelessness needs ambitious funding, not arbitrary discounts
There is a tendency to believe youth homelessness does not exist so it is not properly funded, writes Phil Kerry, chief executive of New Horizon Youth Centre.
How can homelessness services be expected to deliver with only short-term funding
Chris Keating, Chief Executive of Connection Support, describes how the tailored support they offer requires a far more nuanced approach than short-term funding cycles allow for.
Reset Homelessness: Breaking the cycle to deliver a homelessness system that works for all
Homeless Link's Head of Policy, Sophie Boobis, emphasises why fundamental reform of the way the homelessness system is funded is essential to create a better and more just society. She explains how the emphasis could be changed from crisis management to prevention.
The other features to date include:
Homeless, vulnerable, but not a priority
As local authorities struggle with the mounting numbers of people turning to them for homelessness help, many are being deemed ‘not priority need’, and left to fend for themselves. Katharine Swindells investigates.
The doctor-turned-campaigner for homeless children
Last year, the Shared Health Foundation’s campaign led to the government changing its guidance on providing cots in temporary accommodation. Katharine Swindells speaks to chief executive Dr Laura Neilson about the next stage in the mission
A night shelter for trans people struggles to find funding
Jess McCabe reports from The Outside Project’s new transgender-specific emergency accommodation, as it prepares to open its doors. Why is this accommodation needed, and what has the organisation learned from almost a decade of running LGBTQ+ homelessness services?
How many toddlers and babies are living in temporary accommodation in the UK?
Inside Housing’s latest quarterly update to its live data dashboard reveals the numbers of households with children aged under five living in temporary accommodation and B&Bs.
This joint campaign will continue in the run up to the Comprehensive Spending Review. If you have a relevant story to tell, please contact Homeless Link.
