St Mungo’s welcomes pledges to end homelessness set out today in the Labour Party Manifesto.
- To end rough sleeping within five years, with a national plan driven by a prime minister-led taskforce.
- To build at least 150,000 new council and social homes a year within five years
- To expand and upgrade hostels, turning them into places where people can turn their lives around.
- To make available 8,000 additional homes for people with a history of rough sleeping.
- To tackle the wider causes of homelessness, raising the Local Housing Allowance in line with the 30th percentile of local rents
- To earmark an additional £1 billion a year for councils’ homelessness services.
Howard Sinclair, CEO of St Mungo’s, said:
“We are very pleased that Labour has listened and responded with policies that will make a real difference to tackling rough sleeping and wider homelessness.
“In this election we are calling on candidates and leaders from all parties to acknowledge that the need is urgent and growing. Homelessness is not inevitable and, as another winter approaches, no politician should ignore the scandal of people living and dying on our streets.
“The Labour Party is right to prioritise building new social housing and to make sure that housing benefit covers the cost of rent for people living in private rented accommodation who need it. These are essential to preventing thousands more people from becoming homeless.
“We also welcome Labour’s crucial promise to restore the £1 billion cut in funding for homelessness and housing support services following a decade of cuts. Councils desperately need this targeted funding to bring back the vital services that have been lost. These include the supported housing and floating support services that help people who are at risk of homelessness or who are putting their lives back together after surviving on the streets.”