Homelessness is at record levels - how will Government address the problem?
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) holds an evidence session on tackling homelessness at 3.30pm on Monday 2nd December. The session follows the National Audit Office’s (NAO) 2024 report on the effectiveness of Government in tackling homelessness.
Meeting details
Despite the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2017, homelessness levels are at a record high and are set to rise even higher. Burgeoning demand meant local authorities spent £2.44 billion on homelessness services in 2022-23 (more than double than in 2010-11), with £1.6 billion of this being spent on temporary accommodation.
The NAO report highlighted issues around the availability and affordability of suitable accommodation, both for local authorities' ability to provide suitable accommodation and as a driver of homelessness itself. Recent figures show that the number of households being housed in B&Bs was around 15,950, of which approximately 2,960 families with children had been there over the statutory period of 6 weeks.
The ever-increasing demand to provide temporary accommodation is placing unsustainable financial pressure on some local authorities, according to the NAO. It concluded that the lack of a long-term funding plan, limited work on the prevention of homelessness and the absence of a clear strategy, Departments are unlikely to achieve value for money in tackling homelessness.
The Committee will likely challenge senior officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions on topics including:
- How the levels of homelessness have changed over recent years;
- Whether local authorities are receiving adequate support to address the growing demand for temporary accommodation; and
- How Government will ensure value for money in tackling homelessness.