JRF responds to Salvation Army report on investment to tackle homelessness

The independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) responds to Future-Proof the Roof, a new report from the Salvation Army and WPI Economics on the case for sustainable investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping post-COVID-19.

Iain Porter, Policy & Partnerships Manager at JRF said:

“To make sure everyone has a decent, affordable place to call home, the government must match its ambitious rhetoric on ending rough sleeping with the necessary resources to get the job done. Increasing housing benefit levels to the lowest third of local rents was a good first step to protect private renters during the pandemic, and at a minimum the government should maintain this support to prevent more people being pushed into homelessness by high housing costs.

“But to redesign our housing system so that it lifts people out of poverty, rather than drags them further down, we also need an ambitious plan for social housing. Even before the pandemic, working families were increasingly being swept into poverty by rising housing costs. Investment at scale in social housing would not only significantly increase the supply of homes for families on low incomes, it would also provide an effective boost to our economic recovery.”