Labour government will 'leave no stone unturned to end national disgrace of record homelessness'

As the winter nights draw in, our homes become a sanctuary. But they are much more than a place to shelter. A safe and secure home is foundational to a decent life.  

Yet here we are in 2024 with shocking levels of rough sleeping and record numbers of families with children stuck in temporary accommodation.

I know from my own experience of representing an East London constituency the impact of homelessness on children, families and the wider community is absolutely devastating.

In England, homelessness is now at record levels. In March this year, more than 117,000 households, including over 150,000 children, were living in temporary accommodation. Let’s call this what it is: a national disgrace. This didn’t happen overnight. It is the result of long-standing neglect.

Five years ago, the Tories in their manifesto pledged to end rough sleeping. Not only did they fail to end rough sleeping, in fact the number of rough sleepers has increased by 60% in the past two years.

This failure to deliver, the lack of political will and the worsening housing crisis amid a failure to build the homes we need have contributed to the homelessness emergency.

That’s why we must take action to address the failures which have left so many sleeping rough. This week deputy prime minister Angela Rayner brought together ministers from across government as we start to tackle the root causes of homelessness to bring about real and lasting change.   

We will be focused on long-term solutions, not mere sticking plasters. We will leave no stone unturned, looking at all the drivers of homelessness and work together to tackle this crisis.

We will bring together an expert group including mayors, councils, leading charities and academics with the clear mission to provide knowledge, analysis and challenge to ministers so we know exactly what is working well nationally and locally, and where improvements are needed.

But I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge ahead. That’s why we are backing our action with investment – and why the chancellor announced in the budget statement an additional £233m, bringing our total investment to nearly £1bn next year, to directly fund critical services to prevent homelessness and support people into secure, stable housing and reduce the need for temporary accommodation.  

• 10 ways the Tories categorically failed to end rough sleeping
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Fixing the homelessness and rough sleeping crisis will involve ramping up housing supply, with a fundamental shift towards social housing available for genuinely affordable rent.

We know access to housing is a problem for so many, which is why we are delivering the biggest increase in affordable and social housebuilding in a generation – to bring the goal of a secure home within the reach of individuals and families across the country.

We are investing an extra £500m that will deliver up to 5,000 new social homes alongside our reforms to make renting fairer and more secure through our Renters’ Rights Bill that will ban Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, tackling one of the leading causes of homelessness. 

We also need to take immediate action to support those in the greatest need, which is why this week we announced an extra £10m help for rough sleepers over winter. 

Working with councils, mayors and communities will be at the heart of this. We will work in step with them to provide people with a secure home. 

There is brilliant work already underway across the country including work by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham who has helped more than 400 rough sleepers off the streets and into their own homes in Greater Manchester through a Housing First scheme which gives rough sleepers a home alongside the wraparound support they need to move on from homelessness.  

I met recently with the London mayor Sadiq Khan, and former rough sleepers to hear from those with first-hand experience of homelessness and to discuss the mayor’s plan to end rough sleeping in London by 2030.

The last Labour government made great strides in ending homelessness. Rough sleeping was reduced by more than two-thirds. 

Under the Conservatives, that progress has been undone, with rough sleepers an all too-common sight in our towns and cities, and a sharp rise in hidden homelessness.

Building on the lessons of our past and driven by our values, Labour will work across government, with mayors and councils, as well as charities and voluntary organisations, to take a systemic approach. Together we’ll get back on track to ending homelessness for good.

Rushanara Ali is homelessness and rough sleeping minister and the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney.

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