Lord Kerslake to chair new homelessness commission

Lord Bob Kerslake is to lead a new independent commission which seeks to learn the lessons from the effort to support rough sleepers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping will analyse what worked during the pandemic and the next steps required to further implement and embed good practice into future measures.

This includes the work of the government’s Everyone In initiative which is believed to have supported more than 37,000 people into long-term accommodation.

However, the total number of people who have been supported through the Everyone In scheme is almost nine times the government’s official estimate for the number of rough sleepers in the country, which stood at 4,266 in March 2020.

The commission’s advisory board is made up of 17 members, including Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester; Bob Blackman, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homelessness; and Tom Copley, deputy mayor for housing at the Greater London Authority. Secretariat support for this independent Commission will be provided by St Mungo’s.

Lord Kerslake, the former head of the Civil Service and the Department for Communities and Local Government, and current president of the Local Government Association, launched the Commission at the National Housing Federation Summit.

He said: “I am delighted to be chairing this independent commission which is an unusual one because, for once, it will examine what went right rather than what went wrong. By general consent Everyone In was a terrific success which made a real and tangible difference to the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable members.

“What I want to do through this commission is to look at how we can build on this for the future. It is an opportunity to learn, and share learning across the public sector, the health sector as well as local and central government. And if we can do that, we will have done something really valuable for this country. It is a brilliant commission in terms of its membership, and I am sure it will do some brilliant work.”

James Jamieson, Local Government Association Chairman, said: “The LGA is proud to represent councils on this important commission. Councils are determined to build on the success of the Everyone In initiative, which has demonstrated what can be achieved when all parts of the public and voluntary sector work together to get people sleeping rough off the streets and into safe accommodation.

“It is vital we draw on lessons learned during the pandemic and ensure this is not just a one-off emergency response, so we can end rough sleeping and make sure no-one suffers the tragedy of becoming homeless.”

Steve Douglas, chief executive of St Mungo’s, said: “A year ago this week saw the start of Everyone In, the public health emergency response to ensure that everyone sleeping on the street was provided with secure and safe accommodation, and the support that they needed. Since then we have seen an unprecedented effort from charities, frontline service providers, health and social services, local and central government to help people move away from sleeping rough for good. Lives have been saved, opportunities seized and it is clear just what can be achieved when we work together.

“St Mungo’s is pleased to be supporting Lord Kerslake in this vitally important work, and to also have one of our former clients on the Advisory Board. This has to be a watershed moment. Through this Commission we have the opportunity to listen, learn and change the way we address homelessness and rough sleeping. We believe that the ambition to achieve the goal of ending rough sleeping is achievable and this Commission will help us to understand what we all need to do, to make that a reality.”