Rough Sleeping Strategy

We worked closely with the Government as a member of the Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel, along with our members St Mungo’s, St Basils and Thames Reach, among others.

The panel was supported by five task and finish groups, which focused on:

• data
• intervention
• prevention
• recovery
• long-term societal change.

We chaired the recovery task and finish group, which – working with Homeless Link, Crisis, Hightown Housing, Homes for Cathy, Bristol City Council, and the Greater London Authority – developed recommendations on supply, support and access.

Ongoing work to support the Strategy

The Federation intends to hold the Government to account on its commitments to review the Rough Sleeping Strategy and to develop a new strategy on homelessness more widely.

As the strategy says itself, housing associations “have a fundamental part to play in resolving the current crisis, and in delivering the future system of informed and robust prevention”, but to do so we need funding, oversight, and a recognition that to end rough sleeping, the root causes must be tackled too.

Supply and welfare must become integral in the conversation about how we end rough sleeping for good.