Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali: ‘We must take difficult decisions now to get back on track’

We all know the true value of a good home is found not in its bricks and mortar but in the security and stability it gives people. If that solid foundation is stripped away the impact on the lives of those affected can be catastrophic. 

The effects are devastating on those left homeless by the worst housing crisis in living memory. 

Everyone deserves a safe, decent, affordable home and yet this is out of reach for many people across our country. 

We see the shameful consequences all around us – rough sleeping soaring and record numbers of families in temporary accommodation. It is a scandal that 160,000 children are living in temporary.

Successive years of failure to build the homes this country needs or to invest in local services that prevent people and families becoming homeless, have failed generations time and again.

This government has made it our mission to end this crisis through our Plan for Change – by building 1.5m new homes, delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and ending no fault evictions. 

At the same time, we’re investing record amounts of funding in homelessness prevention – almost £1bn – to help councils support those who need these services most, including a £233m boost for this year.

Over the Christmas period the deputy prime minister and I saw the work of those on the front line delivering vital assistance for people in need.

We have seen local initiatives led by our regional mayors alongside our brilliant homeless charities to provide emergency help during the cold winter months.

To support these efforts, we have made the largest-ever investment in homelessness services. Our record funding for councils gives them the tools to put in place rapid support to help people from losing their homes.

And we have just announced a further £30m support for emergency homelessness services as part of our rough sleeping winter pressures funding – providing life-changing support for thousands of people.

This funding is targeted at 295 areas where people are most at risk of homelessness due to housing costs and rent arrears.

It will mean councils can step in early and keep people in their homes before eviction notices are served, or to support people get off the streets into accommodation.

All told, that’s £60m in emergency winter funding for homelessness and rough sleeping this year, helping thousands more people.

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At the same time, our new measures to boost housing availability include reforms to Right to Buy. Among the changes, councils will be able to keep the money they make from sales to invest in building and buying more homes.

On top of this we have made an extra £450m available for councils to secure and create housing for families at risk of homelessness, helping ensure fewer parents and children end up in temporary accommodation.

But funding is only part of the solution.

The deputy prime minister and I have been working with ministerial colleagues across government on a long-term strategy that is clear and deliverable to prevent homelessness and provide the kind of long-term quality homes people deserve.

By taking difficult decisions now to reverse the years of failure we inherited, we can get back on track to ending homelessness.

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