Labour’s failure to commit to national Housing First expansion 'risks thousands losing their home'

The government’s decision not to create an expanded Housing First nationally as part of its homelessness strategy has sparked warnings that it risks thousands of people losing their homes and support.

Labour revealed its long-awaited National Plan to End Homelessness on Thursday (11 December) but it did not include a commitment to build on its existing Housing First pilots in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and West Midlands.

Instead, the strategy said that not everyone will need the intensive approach of Housing First to escape homelessness and councils should use the homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse grant to produce a range of accommodation models.

The Housing First model sees rough sleepers provided with a home as well as support they need for as long as they require it. The model has earned a big reputation for the role it has played in virtually ending homelessness in Finland.

Ahead of the publication of the strategy, Labour MP Paula Barker published an open letter, signed by a number of Labour MPs, calling for Housing First to be a “central component” of the government’s plans to end homelessness.

Following the publication of the strategy, Barker told Big Issue: “Whilst there are several measures which are incredibly positive and I welcome in this strategy, we are in an emergency that requires a bold response, and sadly that is not what this is.

“If the government had truly listened to the sector about what works, a national rollout of Housing First would have been a core component of the strategy. Instead, it has only been included as a suggested approach for local authorities to undertake themselves.

“Sadly, this strategy has chosen a far more piecemeal approach that from my experience will likely end up having a far higher price – economically, yes, but also in terms of human cost.”

The three government-backed pilots were first announced back in the 2017 autumn budget and began supporting people with homes and support the following year.

A final evaluation report on the pilots was released a year ago and showed 92% of people housed through the programmes were living in long-term, largely social rented accommodation a year later.

Participants reported feeling less lonely, better health and being less likely to fall foul of the criminal justice system. In the year before entering Housing First, a third of participants reported having been involved in anti-social behaviour but after a year of the programme that fell to 12%.

The report also showed the need for a long-term commitment to the model to support some of the most vulnerable people in society.

After a year of being in Housing First, only 4% of clients were in paid work and 3% were looking for work or expected to be employed in the next six months.

Read more:

• More than 380,000 people will spend Christmas homeless – what does Labour’s strategy mean for them?
• Everything you need to know about Labour’s homelessness strategy
• Why homelessness is rising in Finland – and what Britain can learn

Separate reports from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think tanks also called for Housing First to be extended across England this year.

CSJ said targeted expansion could deliver 5,571 places by 2029-30 while SMF said a rollout to deliver 11,200 places would generate net benefits worth £195 million over five years.

Barker added: “The success of the Housing First pilots across Liverpool, Manchester, and the West Midlands speak for themselves, not to mention the success it has had internationally in combatting homelessness.

“And we know that it saves the state more than it costs – according to a report by the CSJ, for every £1 invested, the state gets £2 back. It is a practical, compassionate and evidence-led approach that complements this government’s wider mission to rebuild public services.”

Big Issue visited Finland earlier this year to hear how the Finns had used Housing First as the foundation for how they respond to homelessness across society, not just for rough sleepers.

It’s an ethos and attitude that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has embraced across the region too.

But Homeless Link’s Alex Smith told Big Issue that Housing First faced an uncertain future without broader systemic change to how homelessness is addressed in England.

Following the reveal of Labour’s homelessness strategy, Smith told Big Issue: “The recognition of the need to shift to a more housing-led response to homelessness, with Housing First playing an important role within this is very welcome. However, while the strategy is clear that the intervention is proven to successfully support people with multiple complex needs, the lack of a national Housing First programme is a risk.

“Local services have worked hard to provide this open-ended, person-centred service to people experiencing the most complex disadvantage across the country and the results from these services and the government’s regional pilots demonstrate the effectiveness of the model. Without official government backing, it is possible that local authorities will not prioritise Housing First, putting thousands of people at risk of losing their tenancy and the support they rely on, with potentially severe consequences.”

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