Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough sleeping - interim report published

The Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping has published its interim report. The NHF is a member of the Commission. The report has been published ahead of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review and includes examples of savings brought about by homelessness prevention.

The Kerslake Commission was set up to examine and learn from the emergency response which supported people sleeping rough during the coronavirus pandemic, to understand what worked during the pandemic and what is now needed to embed the good practice shown.

The interim report provides an overview of the positive lessons from the emergency response, the limitations and challenges, and budget recommendations. It advises what should be the priorities and approaches to achieve the government’s manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping.

The NHF supports the recommendations in the report, such as:

• Flexible and longer-term funding, and better alignment between capital and revenue funds.
• Policies on affordable housing (social rent) and welfare support that will help prevent homelessness.
• Longer-term, sustainable recovery through employment support, complex needs funding, partnership working, Housing First.
• Investment in preventing rough sleeping, and responding to it quickly and effectively with appropriate accommodation when it does occur.
• Recommendations around embedding national, regional and local partnership working.

The Commission will publish its final report in September. The NHF will continue to sit on the panel and continue to submit evidence from its membership.