8 Conclusion
193. There is no question that the Government has
taken on the problem of homelessness. The Homelessness Act 2002
represented a breakthrough in strategic thinking, and the extension
of the Priority Need categories has brought large numbers under
the protection of legislation. New obligations have been imposed
on local authorities to help more people than ever before. We
are glad that the Government recognised the scale of the homelessness
problem.
194. Having reduced the number of rough sleepers,
and families forced to live long term in bed and breakfast accommodation,
ODPM now faces a new crisis. The growing pressure in temporary
accommodation needs urgent attention, and investment. New housing
is not being built quickly enough, and too much of it is destined
not to be used as much needed social housing. We regard the provision
of new social housing as an absolute priority for the Government.
This problem will not go away; indeed, it may get much worse.
195. Implementation of the legislation is also patchy.
Strategic thinking has, by many accounts, been slow to improve
despite the introduction of local authority homeless strategies.
Statutory definitions are being inconsistently and carelessly
applied; authorities seem to look for reasons to turn people away
rather than to help; there are suspicions that 'gatekeeping' is
getting tougher to keep the number of acceptances down because
authorities cannot cope with the demand. We are deeply concerned
that the actions of local authorities are not being monitored
closely enough. Disparity between authorities managing the same
legislation are often extreme and must warrant intervention on
occasion from ODPM. The Government must also take more responsibility
for encouraging greater uniformity of approach by publishing more
definitive guidance in the very many areas where local authority
practice is so inconsistent. A review of the workings of the 2002
Act would identify the weak spots for the Government.
196. It seems to us that the Supporting People programme
has structural problems. We will return to this at a later date.
We do however wish to express our concern that projects are closing
and new projects stifled because of the workings of the programme.
Its effectiveness could be greatly improved if the suggestions
of its users were taken into consideration.
197. New groups are emerging amongst the homeless
population, most notably 16-17 year olds. Funding for prevention
work with groups with problems likely to lead to homelessness
must be assured and the voluntary sector more closely involved.
Prevention work with schools and families is particularly important;
early intervention could make a real difference to many who end
up as homeless 16 year olds. We think the citizenship curriculum
should include housing issues to address the expectations of young
teenagers.
198. Although ODPM, in its PSA5, has set long-term
targets for reducing the numbers in temporary accommodation, these
almost embarrassingly lack in ambition. The Government considers
that it cannot realistically bring the numbers in temporary accommodation
back down to the figure it inherited until 2016. We believe the
Government should publish a radical new strategy to tackle the
scandal.
199. Underlying the whole issue of homelessness is
the imbalance in the demand for and supply of adequate housing.
Many of the Government's initiatives have been aimed at stimulating
new building generally and helping groups, like key workers and
people who aspire to shared ownership. For most homeless people,
given the high rate of poverty, unemployment and vulnerability,
their housing need will only be met through an increase in the
supply of social rented housing. This is the area where the Government's
housing policy seems to have achieved least so far, yet it is
the area where need and social justice demand that the priority
should lie.
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