‘Turn the tide of rising homelessness’: LGA responds to Kerslake Commission report

Responding to the latest report of the Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, which says the Government will not meet its target to end rough sleeping by 2024 and calls for urgent action to address rapidly rising rates of homelessness, Cllr Shaun Davies, Chair of the Local Government Association said:

“Councils want to turn the tide of rising homelessness and ensure no one has to sleep rough on our streets, an ambition which Lord Kerslake admirably strived for.

“As this report recommends, we need to prevent people from reaching crisis point in the first place, alongside providing tailored support for those who are already homeless.

“Local Housing Allowance rates should also be urgently reviewed to ensure that at least a third of the market is affordable for people claiming housing related benefits, alongside adequate resources for councils’ homelessness services and a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy.

“As per our six point plan, councils also need to be given the powers and resources to build 100,000 social homes a year to address the national shortage of affordable housing.”

Notes to Editors

LGA: “Generational step-change” needed in council housebuilding