The Government will fail to meet its target to end rough sleeping because of a ‘chronic shortage’ of affordable housing and support services, experts have warned.
A report from the Kerslake Commission on homelessness and rough sleeping said that homelessness was on the rise because of a ‘severe shortage’ in affordable housing, a lack of statutory support services and the cost of living crisis.
The latest national figures showed a 26% increase in rough sleeping.
Established to learn the lessons from Everyone In - the scheme that provided rough sleepers with emergency accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic - the Kerslake Commission said the Government should fix Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates at the 30th percentile of local rents.
Chair of the Local Government Association, Shaun Davies, said: ‘LHA rates should also be urgently reviewed to ensure that at least a third of the market is affordable for people claiming housing related benefits, alongside adequate resources for councils’ homelessness services and a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy.’
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: ‘We remain focused on ending rough sleeping for good and are spending £2bn to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the areas that need it most.'
