Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a legal right to (a) suitable emergency accommodation and (b) adequate support for people at risk of street homelessness.

Homelessness levels are far too high and we must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government will look at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.

The Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force in April 2018, places duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person’s homelessness. These duties provide help to all eligible people, including single people who do not have priority need. If homelessness cannot be prevented or relieved, the local authority may owe the applicant a duty to provide them with temporary accommodation until settled accommodation is secured.

Homelessness legislation includes eligibility criteria, consideration of vulnerability and whether someone is intentionally homeless to ensure that resources, including temporary accommodation and access to settled housing, are prioritised effectively and accommodation is there for people who need it most. The Homelessness Code of Guidance, which local authorities must pay regard to, contains advice for assessing vulnerability.