Urgent action to prevent rough sleeping after lockdown

The Homeless Link charity is calling for urgent national and local action so that nobody is forced to sleep rough after lockdown.

The organisation has produced a transition plan, ‘Everyone in for good’, outlining the three principles that must guide our work to help achieve the ambition that there must be no return to the status quo, as well as the urgent steps that national and local government must take to make these principles a reality.  

Actions to protect people sleeping rough during the coronavirus lockdown have demonstrated that with the right level of focus and investment, progress can be made in tackling rough sleeping. Homeless Link now believes that we have a unique opportunity to build on this progress and end rough sleeping for good.  

Part of this involves encouraging councils to maintain the momentum of multi-agency collaboration and support community-based services to re-establish their provision. Additionally, Everyone in for good calls on local authorities to develop a full costed transition plan for those leaving emergency accommodation, and ensure nobody leaves without personalised support in place.

Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, said: “As we approach the next phase of the outbreak, we have a unique opportunity to build on the progress made during lockdown and prevent a cliff-edge in service provision as restrictions are lifted, while supporting those newly at risk of homelessness due to the coronavirus. Rather than return to the status quo, we must make bold changes and tackle the underlying reasons why so many people become homeless in the first place. Without this, we risk a rise in rough sleeping at the same time as our ambition is to end it.”