Homelessness and Rough Sleeping

Baroness Hanham Excerpts

Wednesday 24th July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Dubs]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the causes of homelessness and rough sleeping in the United Kingdom.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham)]

My Lords, the reasons for homelessness and rough sleeping are complex. This is an important issue which we are taking action to address, including by investing £470 million to support prevention and recovery services. This includes £34 million for the mayor’s office for rough sleeping in London; changing the law so that homeless families can be placed quickly in suitable private sector accommodation; and joining-up actions across government through the ministerial working group on homelessness to tackle the causes of homelessness.

[Lord Dubs]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for the Answer. Will she confirm that a disturbingly large proportion of the homeless and rough sleepers are ex-prisoners and that if they do not get homes they are more likely to be reconvicted and sent back to prison? Will she comment on the difficulties facing a prisoner who is discharged with a £46 discharge grant having to wait a week under the Government’s policy before they can claim benefits?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, I do not have the exact percentage but I acknowledge that there must be, and will be, some ex-prisoners among the homeless and rough sleepers who may go back to prison. When they leave prison, their benefits are calculated in the normal way.

[The Earl of Listowel]

From the Cross-Benches, I ask how care-experience young people are represented in the rough sleepers’ figures. Will the Government consider bringing forward an amendment to the Children and Families Bill to place a duty on local authorities to enable young people leaving care to stay with their foster carers, where they choose to, to the age of 21, instead of being obliged to leave at 18, whether they like to or not, as is the current situation?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, my understanding is that for children leaving care, local authorities are obliged to keep acting for them until they are 21 if they are homeless. So they are already being looked after. We recognise that a number of children under 21 leave care. The 15 to 18 year-olds, in particular, are well cared for but we know that we have problems with the 18 to 25 year-olds. I am advised that in the specific area of children leaving care, local authorities have responsibility for those until they are 21.

[Lord Cormack]

My Lords, further to the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, does the Minister agree that if we are truly determined to ensure that young offenders and others are properly rehabilitated and do not reoffend, it must be incumbent on us to ensure that they have the means to survive when they come out of jail?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, I totally agree with my noble friend and I accept that benefits are a requirement. I am afraid that I cannot respond on how they are assessed at the moment and I will write to both noble Lords on that.

[Lord Kinnock]

My Lords, when the evidence from the National House-Building Council is that the bedroom tax is forcing people out of even low-rent social housing, which is still too expensive for new tenants to take up, could it not be said, fairly, that the Government are, through their policies, making their own contribution to the increase in homelessness and rough sleeping?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, there is no evidence of the bedroom tax having affected homelessness. Local authorities have a responsibility to look after people as they make the changes to downsize. It is important to point out that most families, especially those in the private sector, do not have the luxury of having spare bedrooms, particularly those who are being subsidised by the country.

[The Lord Bishop of Birmingham]

The Minister will be aware of the good practice of the multi-agency response to homelessness among 16 and 17 year-olds in Birmingham at the St Basils Youth Hub but, with the recent support expressed by the Housing Minister for the End Youth Homelessness Alliance, how will the Government meet the alliance’s challenges for family support, employment and affordable, safe housing for that category of people?

[Baroness Hanham]

I am aware of what the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Birmingham is talking about. The policies of the Government will support the question that he has asked.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno]

Does the Minister agree that so many of those who are homeless and rough sleepers are the most vulnerable and fragile in society and that we must do everything possible in order to give them confidence in their communities? Is the present Home Office campaign not also against immigrants, with those billboards going around saying, “Go home or face arrest”? Does that not cause a great disturbance in our communities, possibly also for the homeless people who may feel under threat?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, there are two important questions there. On the first, about rough sleeping, as noble Lords know and as I have made clear in this House, the Government are intent on stopping rough sleeping. There is the No Second Night Out initiative, in London, The Passage and other initiatives by organisations such as St Mungo’s and St Basils. There is support for rough sleepers and we do not expect them to have to stay rough sleeping for very long.

Regarding the second matter raised by the noble Lord, this is a new initiative that has just been undertaken by the City of Westminster to try to encourage those who should not be here and have not got accommodation to think about going home. It is intended to be helpful; I do not think that it is meant to be intimidating but to address the reality of the situation, as there are people coming here without jobs and accommodation.

[Lord McKenzie of Luton]

My Lords, are we not at the start of seeing the horrors of what the bedroom tax will produce? We know that homelessness will be fuelled by that tax. The Government have suggested that it is possible to stave off the effects of the bedroom tax by taking in a lodger—what advice would the Minister give to a family forced to consider this course of action?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, there are people who would welcome having that single-room accommodation —there are students, people in the Armed Forces who are here for a short time, and people who do not have other accommodation. Those options are there if people choose to rent out a room. It would be subject always, of course, to their tenure, lease or arrangements with the local authority, but it is perfectly possible for them to do that. The situation with regard to having a spare room is such that we have to recognise that the welfare bill is enormous, it is £210 billion, and contributions need to be made to that.