The rising levels and wider problem of homelessness in the UK have been discussed in great length on the FPH website. Given that FPH provides shelter and accommodation to rough sleepers, this may not come as much of a surprise. What might surprise you, however, is how seldom updates on this issue through latest legislation or public behaviour are in fact positive.
In truth, much of the talking points centre on government inactivity or ill-treatment of the people in situations we try not to imagine. However, a new bill announced by the Welsh government has brought us great optimism and hope that if successful, it can be used to springboard conversations and action throughout the rest of the UK.
In a Written Statement released today, Jane Bryant, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, laid The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill before the Senedd.
Mrs Bryant said: “The Bill will help us achieve our long-term ambition to end homelessness in Wales. It places a stronger emphasis on homelessness prevention and removes barriers which have historically served to exclude people from assistance. It strengthens prevention measures for groups most at risk of homelessness such as, care leavers. Recognising a public service response is required to effectively address homelessness, the Bill widens responsibility for the identification and prevention of homelessness to ensure stronger cooperation across Welsh public services.”
Building on the 2023 White Paper on Ending Homelessness in Wales, this new proposed legislation introduces recommendations which mirror those called for by charities such as FPH, Crisis and The Big Issue. The bill aims to make homelessness in Wales “rare, brief, and unrepeated.”
Ultimately, the Labour government administration of Wales, in cooperation with Plaid Cymru, set out their commitment to ending homelessness entirely but shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach – something many have called for a long time.
One of the ways they are aiming to do so is by extending prevention duty. Under the current arrangement, local authorities are required to help someone who is at risk of becoming homeless within 56 days, however under the new bill, this period will extend to people at risk in six months. Not only does this provide people at risk with three times as long to find a solution, but it will also have huge impact on the mental health of the people unfortunate enough to be in this scenario. By aiding earlier on in the process, local authorities will help people stabilise their plans moving forward.
Perhaps the most significant change in policy is the commitment to helping everybody in need. Under the current legislation, there is a pejorative stance from local authorities on who to prioritise. Not only has this practice enabled public attitudes to blaming homeless people for their own misfortune, It has also attached blame by accusing people of being homeless intentionally.
While there are undeniably cases where agency is present in these decisions to live on the streets or go back to prison, it is not an excuse for not helping these people. They are all citizens and more importantly, they are all people. Ultimately, if passed, the legislation would render everybody who is homeless as eligible for support, regardless of their personal circumstances.
Other areas of importance include changing the rule on local connection, allowing more people to access support even if they lack a connection to the area; changing the approach to temporary accommodation which would enable more individuals to gain stable shelter and improved collaboration from public services by introducing a statutory duty to help identify those at risk.
The draft plan has already been championed by notable charities in the space.
In a statement released today, Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis and Chair of the Ending Homelessness National Advisory Board, expressed his support for the bill and said that it reconises that “bold action” is needed to end homelessness.
He said: “In these difficult times, this draft law brings much hope for the future. This draft new law holds the potential to transform lives by helping to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place and, over time, unlocking key parts of the current law which can leave people shut out of support. Crisis will be looking closely at the details of this bill as it progresses through the Senedd, but the ambition set out today is a real milestone for Wales in building a future without homelessness.”
Furthermore, Andrew Connell and Jez Bushnell of The Salvation Army already penned an article titled: “How Wales is showing the way for England on homelessness with one simple change” in reference to abolishing priority need. They have called for the same legislation to be passed in England.
Truthfully, there is a long way to go. I would encourage any readers to have a look at the Welsh Parliament’s “Guide to the scrutiny stages for Public Bills” which sets out how many stages and potential time frames for bills to be passed. The cynic in me says it may be viewed as controversial and even radical by some in the Welsh government, however with the good news of the introduction of the bill, I will lean on the side of glass half full and hope to write the blog on the legislation passing in the near future.