This is how we can tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in Britain
Left Foot Forward
Housing First works for the people who needs most support
Patrick Hurley is the Labour MP for Southport
Homelessness in the UK is a symptom of the long-term problems of the country – a Tory government that made a complete mess of running the country over 14 long, difficult and progressively worse years; and a Labour government that hasn’t yet managed over its 18 months in office to sufficiently get to grips with the overwhelming catastrophic failure of every branch of the state that it inherited in July 2024. This week’s publication of the government’s National Plan to End Homelessness is both a very welcome statement of intent and also simultaneously an acknowledgement that government has not previously been bold enough.
New official figures show that 9,574 people were sleeping rough in July 2025, an increase of 94 per cent compared with July 2021. This confirms that current approaches are not improving the situation and that many people are becoming trapped in homelessness rather than helped out of it.
Several pressures are driving the rise. The housing shortage and the cost-of-living crisis remain major factors, exacerbated by the freeze to Local Housing Allowance and the Benefit Cap. The government has great ambitions relating to building more homes, with £39bn promised for social and affordable housing, but the scale of the challenge is daunting.
The number of long-term rough sleepers reached a record level in September. A total of 3,397 people were seen sleeping rough in three or more of the previous twelve months. This group has grown by 28 per cent since September 2023. Long-term rough sleepers are now the largest group of people sleeping on the streets. This indicates that homelessness for many has become an ongoing condition, not a short-term crisis. The nature of the problem is different than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. And so that means that the nature of the solution needs to be different too.
Thankfully, there is now clear evidence of what works better. Some of this is included in this week’s National Plan – great proposals such as national targets, a move from crisis response to prevention, an end to families housed in B&Bs in all but the most exceptional emergencies, additional funding for rough sleeping services, and targeted support to reduce long-term rough sleeping.
A report from the Centre for Social Justice, No Place Like Home, calls for a national roll-out of Housing First. This is an approach based on providing people with secure housing as the starting point, with support offered rather than required. The report describes Housing First as the most effective and well evidenced intervention for people with the most complex needs.
The results support that claim. Housing First is over three times more effective than traditional services at helping people secure and sustain permanent housing. Across pilots in Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, 84 per cent of users were still in long-term housing after around three years on the programme. These are individuals who typically have long histories of rough sleeping, contact with the criminal justice system, poor physical and mental health, and repeated failed attempts at temporary accommodation.
Political leadership has also come from those areas. Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Steve Rotheram in Liverpool City Region have both backed Housing First and demonstrated how it can work in practice. Their advocacy shows that the policy is not theoretical and that it can be delivered in partnership with local authorities and voluntary sector providers.
The economic case for Housing First is also strong. The CSJ calculates that rolling out the programme across England would take over 5000 people off the streets by 2030. It finds that for every pound invested, up to two pounds is returned to taxpayers and society due to reduced pressure on the NHS, temporary accommodation, homelessness outreach and the criminal justice system. A national programme would cost just £100 million over four years. By way of comparison, this is what the NHS spends every four hours.
The argument is that these changes would reflect a Housing First approach in both policy and in priorities, particularly when it comes to housing homeless veterans. The principle is that the goal should be to prevent rough sleeping where possible and resolve it quickly where prevention has failed, rather than allowing people to become entrenched in it.
Public opinion appears to support a stronger approach. A poll for the Royal Foundation found that nearly half of adults agreed with the statement “Homelessness is a major problem and needs to be given top priority,” with more agreeing than disagreeing.
Taken together, the scale of the problem, the evidence from pilots and the level of public concern suggest that Housing First should be a central part of the forthcoming national homelessness strategy. It offers a clear and practical response to rising rough sleeping, backed by data and by examples within the UK. It treats people as residents rather than temporary cases and provides the stability that makes recovery more likely.
The UK has already tested Housing First and shown that it works for the people who most need support. The question now is whether the country will build on that progress and adopt a national programme that reflects both the urgency of the situation and the potential for lasting change. If the goal is to reduce rough sleeping visibly and meaningfully, starting with a home is the most direct route to doing so. Government has this week signalled its seriousness of intent to reduce homelessness; now is a great opportunity to ramp that seriousness up and roll out the policies that will make the most difference.
Too poor for council or housing association homes
DECEMBER 12 , 2025
By the Labour Campaign for Council Housing
A report from the housing campaign Crisis, in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University and the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence, indicates that around a third of housing associations surveyed said pre-tenancy affordability checks determined that the applicant would not be given a tenancy due to “too low an income or insecure finances”.
According to Crisis, 24% of housing associations said that households below a certain income threshold are sometimes excluded from the housing register. Nearly three-quarters of them said that welfare reform had impacted on allocations and lettings processes in recent years, notably restrictions to housing benefit and the benefit cap.
Around a quarter of associations reported “often refusing nominations from the local authority because the offer was ‘unsuitable’.”
What is known as a “Greenlight for Housing” process, introduced by housing associations has been copied by some councils, though we don’t know how many – see this example. It is common now for a double means-test. Those applying to get on the waiting list are tested to see if they earn enough to be able to afford a private rental property or ‘shared ownership’. If they are judged to be able to afford either of those options then they will not be allowed on the list.
Once on the list, when they apply for a tenancy, they are means-tested to see if they are deemed to be able to afford the rent. If not, they will be refused a tenancy. They will be asked to participate in the Greenlight for Housing process, to examine whether their financial situation can be improved, maybe with benefits they are not claiming, or more work. If they refuse to participate, and are not able to show, after three months, that their financial position has improved then their application will be closed.
The Crisis report does not consider the question of the level of rents except insofar as it says: “The welfare system must ensure homes and especially social homes are affordable. The UK Government should review the interaction between social housing rent levels and social security arrangements to ensure that no household entitled to mainstream social security benefits is unable to afford a social home that is of an appropriate size to their needs.”
We know that the rent arrears for English council tenants were £393 million in 2024/25. In March 2024, arrears for housing associations reached a record level of £800 million. Housing associations have a much higher level of stock charging ‘affordable rent’; around 380,000, or 13% of their stock. Councils have 43,683. Given the much higher rents then fewer people are likely to be judged able to afford them. The difference between ‘affordable rent’ and ‘social rent’ is £60 a week for council tenants, £90 in London. For housing associations, ‘affordable rent’ is £44 a week higher than ‘social rent’. We have said the government should end its support for the Tories ‘affordable rent’. (‘Affordable rent’ includes service charges, whereas ‘social rent’ doesn’t. However, the difference between them is considerable, and with percentage increases the gap between them grows each year.)
If people cannot afford the rent for a council or housing association home, what can they afford? Certainly not more expensive private rent. With the government introducing a policy of ten years of above-inflation rent increases for council and housing association tenants (see No to 10 years of above inflation rent increases), the likelihood is that more people on the waiting list will be told they cannot have a tenancy.
This situation is the product of the acute shortage of social rent homes and rents which have increased to the point that they are becoming more difficult to manage and unaffordable for some. The government’s Social and Affordable Homes policy is only offering funding for 18,000 social rent homes a year. It’s a flawed programme which will not solve the housing crisis.
Crisis has called on the government to boost funding for building more social rent homes. They are also calling on it to:
- remove minimum income requirements for getting on the waiting list and for issuing tenancies to people on low incomes;
- ensure that no household entitled to mainstream social security benefits is unable to afford a social home that is of an appropriate size to their needs.
- direct the Regulator of Social Housing to prevent exclusions based on low income.
Millions still living in cold, damp homes, with those in poor health most exposed, new research shows
DECEMBER 12, 2025
By the End Fuel Poverty Coalition
Millions of people across the UK are still living in cold, damp homes, with new research showing that those with existing health conditions remain far more exposed than the general population, deepening health inequalities and adding pressure to the NHS.
As energy bills remain 69% higher than in winter 2020, the latest End Fuel Poverty Coalition polling for 2025 finds that 14% of adults say they live in a cold, damp home, which remains broadly in line with 2023 and 2024 (16%). However, there are stark disparities affecting vulnerable groups.
People with health conditions are significantly more likely to say they live in cold, damp homes in 2025, with rates rising to 22% for people with lung conditions and 25% for people with mental health conditions. The figure also remains high for people with other long-term conditions such as motor neurone disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, at 24%.
Housing tenure also continues to play a major role. One in five renters in the private rented sector say they live in poor conditions.
In cold and damp homes, the presence of mould is an almost ever present issue. More broadly among the general public, the 2025 research shows that 26% of adults report mould in their homes frequently or occasionally in the last 12 months, only a slight fall from 29% in both 2023 and 2024.
People with health conditions face elevated levels (32%), with in particular people with mental health conditions (35%), being more likely to report mould.
With over two fifths (41%) of people still worried about being cold this winter due to the energy crisis, the findings have raised concerns among campaigners that without targeted action, avoidable housing-related illness will continue to burden the NHS, particularly during winter months.
Eilidh Weir is a mother of two who rents a home in Buchlyvie, Scotland. She said: “There’s nothing more miserable than being skint in a cold, damp house.
“I’m a private rental tenant and I used to have storage heaters, but I didn’t use them because they were too expensive. When I found out I was eligible for an air source heat pump to be installed, completely free, I felt really, really pleased that I was able to access that without having a high wage.
“My kids notice the house is cosier now. Being able to make better choices shouldn’t be just for those that have higher incomes.”
Charlotte Higgins is retired and lives in Solihull in the West Midlands and had energy-saving measures fitted by the Solihull Household Support Fund. She said: “The loft insulation has been done, and I’ve had solar panels on the front and the back. It’s made a difference to my heating, and my bills are a lot cheaper.”
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “Five years into the energy bills crisis and households are still waiting for a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan which will set out how people can improve the energy efficiency of their properties and reduce their energy use in a safe way.
“Given the well-publicised failings of the previous Government’s insulation schemes, we now need to move even faster to catch up and help people stay warm every winter and cool every summer.
“Meanwhile, for many households, the research highlights the vicious cycle where cold and damp housing worsens existing health conditions, increasing energy needs and making homes harder to heat. This in turn drives further ill health and greater pressure on healthcare services.
“The data underlines the need for long-term solutions that address housing quality and energy affordability together, rather than relying on short-term crisis support, to prevent cold and damp homes becoming a permanent driver of poor health and rising public costs.”
Tom Darling, Director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “We know that private renters are more likely than other groups to be living in homes with damp or with serious health risks. It’s shocking that so many people are living in homes that put their life at risk – and totally unacceptable that many landlords are profiting from them.”
“The government must set out when they will apply Awaab’s law to the private rented sector, as they recently have for social tenants, and finally impose a legal duty on landlords to address dangerous housing conditions within a specific time frame. Every month without action will see more people harmed by unhealthy homes.”
Andrew McCracken, Director of External Affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Millions across the UK are living in homes that could be damaging their health. Cold, damp homes are much more likely to develop mould which can lead to life-threatening flare ups for people with lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cause lung conditions in previously healthy individuals. With rising fuel costs and a cost-of-living crisis, too many vulnerable people are being forced to live in unsafe conditions.
“The Government must deliver its Warm Homes Plan with a focus on sustainable heating, well-fitted insulation, and effective ventilation, so that no one has to choose between affordable heating and breathing in clean air. Poor lung health has the closest link with deprivation of all the major health conditions and the UK, shamefully, has the highest death rate in Europe for respiratory conditions. We desperately need urgent Government action to support warm homes and protect the health of the most vulnerable people in our society.”
Meanwhile bills will rise as networks upgrade
Meanwhile Ofgem have announced that there will be £28bn spent over the next five years in Britain’s gas and electricity networks, but this could rise to £90bn.
Overall, Ofgem estimates that the net increase in bills to cover all costs by 2031 will be around £3 per month. But this could be more in the short-term, falling in the longer term. Of the initial money announced, most of the funding (£17.8bn) will go towards maintaining Britain’s ageing gas networks.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition profits tracker estimated that over £50bn of profits have been generated by electricity and gas transmission and distribution firms since 2020.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “With the North Sea running out of gas and after years of under investment, upgrades to Britain’s energy grids are vital to ensure a reliable energy supply and to help homes benefit from renewables as they come online.
“But that shouldn’t mean signing a blank cheque for network and transmission companies. These vast sums of essentially public money must come with proper scrutiny and guarantees for consumers.
“These firms have already made billions in profits during the energy crisis, with significant returns flowing to offshore investors and so-called ‘vampire funds’.
“Households can’t keep footing the bill while private equity profits. Every penny added to customers’ bills must be spent delivering clear value for money and actively helping to reduce the cost of energy in the long-term and ensure energy security.”
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