Oral Answers to Questions

Will Quince Excerpts

Monday 12th March 2018 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Will Quince (Colchester) (Con)]

2. What steps his Department is taking to reduce homelessness.

[The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Sajid Javid)]

Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority for me and my Ministry. That is why we are spending more than £1 billion through to 2020. We are implementing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades—the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017—and we have established the rough sleeping and homelessness reduction taskforce.

[Will Quince]

The all-party group on ending homelessness recently took evidence on the success of rapid rehousing models in Denmark. What consideration has my right hon. Friend given to the merits of rolling out such programmes alongside the faster and wider roll-out of Housing First in England?

[Sajid Javid]

May I first pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the important role that he has played as the co-chair of the all-party group on ending homelessness? He is absolutely right to point to international experience when looking at the huge challenge that this country faces. As he knows, Housing First has come from the experience of others, particularly Finland. I thank him for his support.