Today (Tuesday 23rd July 2024) the National Audit Office published a report unveiling the effectiveness of DLUHC/MHCLG’s handling of homelessness since 2017.

Specifically, the report looks into whether DLUHC has a good understanding of the nature of homelessness, is delivering appropriate system leadership, and supports local authorities well.

The last report was published in 2017 (six months before the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 came into force).

Responding to the report's findings, Francesca Albanese, Executive Director of Policy and Social Change at Crisis, said: “With homelessness at record levels, and the numbers expected to rise even more, we can’t delay progress to tackle this scandal any longer.

“A perfect storm of sky-high rents, a dire shortage of affordable housing and increased living costs are pushing more and more people to the brink. While councils are doing all they can to support struggling households, operating under this level of pressure is not sustainable.

“It’s critical that the Westminster government urgently establish a homelessness unit to work across all departments. Alongside this, we need clear plans on how it will deliver the social housing we need and properly fund local authorities, so that everyone can have a safe and stable home.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editor

• The NAO report 'The effectiveness of government in tackling homelessness' can be found here.