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Select committee inquiry

Homeless households inquiry

Closed

Public Accounts Committee · Opened 3 November 2017 · Closed 3 November 2017

Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

What the inquiry looked at

“In March 2017 there were 77,240 households in temporary accommodation, according to a report from the National Audit Office . These households included 120,540 children. In total, homelessness costs taxpayers for than £1 billion per year – of which £845 million was spent on temporary accommodation. Across England, the end of private sector tenancies accounts for 74% of the growth in homeless households since 2010. According to the NAO, the capping of Local Housing Allowance benefits could also have contributed to the rise in homeless households. Tackling homelessness is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). DCLG has said it will improve data around homelessness but does not yet have a cross-government strategy to prevent and tackle the problem. The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 gave more responsibility for homelessness to local authorities and required them to have a strategy, but DCLG does not monitor these strategies. The Public Accounts Committee will take evidence from local councils and the local government ombudsman about authorities’ progress with combatting homelessness. The Committee will then hear from DCLG about their work in reducing the number homeless households, as well as asking the Department for Work and Pensions about whether benefit reform is contributing to the problem.”

The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.

What it found

In the committee's words, from the summary of 11th Report - Homeless households ↗

The extent of homelessness across England is a national crisis. It is appalling that at any one time there are as many as 9,100 people sleeping rough on our streets. More than 78,000 households, including over 120,000 children, are homeless and housed in temporary accommodation, which can often be of a very poor standard. In addition there are ‘hidden homeless’ people who are housed by family and friends in shifting circumstances, but not captured as part of the official figures. Homelessness can be a devastating blight on the lives of those who experience it: the average rough sleeper dies before the age of 50, and children in long term temporary accommodation miss far more schooling than their peers.

The homelessness crisis has been growing for some time: since 2010 the number of households in temporary accommodation, for example, has increased by more than 60%, and since March 2011 the number of people who sleep rough has risen by 134%.

The Department for Communities and Local Government’s (the Department) attitude to reducing homelessness has been unacceptably complacent. The limited action that it has taken has lacked the urgency that is so badly needed and its “light touch” approach to working with the local authorities tackling homelessness has clearly failed.

The Department is placing great reliance on the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 to provide the solution to homelessness. While this new legislation will no doubt help, it cannot be successful unless it is matched by a renewed focus across government on tackling the twin issues of both the supply and affordability of decent housing, which underlie the causes of homelessness.

What the government said

No government response is linked to this report.

Read the report ↗ Report an error

How the inquiry ran

Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 3 November 2017 to 30 April 2019.

  1. Oral evidence 27 Nov 2017
  2. Report 20 Dec 2017
  3. Correspondence 3 letters

What it recommended

The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 11th Report - Homeless households ↗ on parliament.uk.

Evidence

Oral evidence sessions 1

Correspondence 3 letters