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Homeless Link, the umbrella group for organisations working with homeless people, today welcomed the Housing Corporation's new push to increase the part housing associations play in tackling and preventing homelessness.
The Housing Corporation's new strategy 'Tackling Homelessness', launched today, recommends that housing associations prepare 'homelessness action plans' and that these plans should include 'move on' strategies to get residents out of hostels and supported housing into their own homes.
Associations should also appoint senior 'homelessness champions' and do more to help local authorities deliver their homelessness strategies.
Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link, said: "We are pleased the Housing Corporation has recognised the importance of move on in their strategy. Housing associations are key to resolving this problem, which leaves people stuck in hostels for years and prevents others leaving the street. What we need now is to see a financial commitment to support this goal."
Research by Homeless Link suggests that 45% of available places in hostels are occupied by people who are ready to move on, but have nowhere to go.
The group estimates the number of social homes currently offered to hostels needs to more than double if the backlog is to be addressed.
From a purely financial point of view, failure to address this problem makes no sense as it leaves people trapped in costly hostels receiving support they no longer need. It can also undermine the good work done to help people move away from homelessness. While the government has set a target to halve the number of statutory homeless households in temporary accommodation many people in hostels are not included in the figures.
The new strategy also calls on housing associations to raise their game in preventing homelessness, saying they should put in place procedures to provide people with the support they need, seek to sustain tenancies and make eviction a last resort.
Commenting on prevention, Jenny Edwards said: "Our ending homelessness campaign calls for a national plan to halve evictions. The Housing Corporation has made it clear that preventing homelessness must be a core priority for housing associations. This will make a big contribution to achieving that target."
