While charities and volunteers do extraordinary work during the festive period, it is disheartening that we rely so heavily on their efforts to paper over the cracks of government inaction. What we need is structural change – a commitment from policymakers to tackle homelessness at its root, not merely its symptoms.
2025 must mark the year we move from seasonal sympathy to sustained action and there are tangible steps we can take to address homelessness and prevent it from recurring.
1. Build more social housing
Successive governments have failed to deliver enough genuinely affordable homes. The waiting lists for social housing grow longer every year, leaving vulnerable families with no option but to rely on temporary accommodation. A bold housing program must be at the heart of any strategy to tackle homelessness.
2. Strengthen protections for renters
Private renters face insecure tenancies, soaring rents, and the constant threat of eviction. The long-promised Renters’ Reform Bill must finally be implemented and go further to include rent caps, extended notice periods, and financial support for tenants at risk of losing their homes.
3. Increase local authority funding
Councils are at breaking point, unable to meet the demand for homelessness services. Adequate funding for prevention programs and emergency housing is essential, alongside devolved powers to tackle housing issues locally.
The five-week wait for universal credit is a key driver of homelessness. The system must be overhauled to provide immediate support for those in crisis and ensure housing benefits cover the actual cost of rent.
5. End the criminalisation of rough sleeping
Policies that punish rough sleepers – such as anti-homeless architecture and fines for begging – must be abolished. Instead, we need compassionate approaches, including Housing First models, which have been proven to successfully end homelessness by providing secure housing as a first step.
Ending homelessness is not an impossible dream; it is a matter of political will. Ultimately, for selfish political reasons, it’s also a vote-winner. Liberal lefties want to end homelessness as part of a moral crusade and stiff-upper-lip poshos want to because they don’t like to see it and would rather not feel the burden of walking past a homeless person. If you can tell both of those camps of voters you can make it go away then their votes are yours.
The notion that homelessness is inevitable is a myth – a convenient excuse for inaction. We must demand more from our leaders, hold them accountable, and ensure homelessness remains a priority long after the Christmas lights are packed away.
I spent 12 months sleeping rough as a teenager in Manchester and know only too well the impact it can have. I was lucky to be given support, opportunity and education to help me get where I am today, but it’s a privilege we should be extending to those bedding down in our towns and cities this evening.
The current Labour government speaks about prevention through public services but we need action, not just warm words from the prime minister. Rates of homelessness are going backwards and it is a crisis that we can’t afford to ignore.
In the face of a housing crisis that grows graver by the day, compassion is not enough. Homelessness is not a winter issue. It is a systemic failure our politicians need to be determined to fix. Let’s not wait for another December to start.
Matthew Torbitt is a writer and broadcaster and former Labour advisor
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