Homelessness Reduction Bill supported by Committee
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Mayor launches taskforce to tackle 'shameful' levels of rough sleeping in London
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Updated 28.10.16
Gov.UK: Article link
The Communities Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that the Homelessness Reduction Private Members Bill is to be supported by the Government.
The Bill, which was published on 21.10.16, has been introduced to Parliament by Bob Blackman MP. It requires local authorities to provide new homelessness services to all those affected, not just those who are protected under existing legislation.
It places a duty on local authorities to help eligible people at risk of homelessness to secure accommodation, 56 days before they are threatened with homelessness, and to provide those who find themselves homeless with support for a further period of 56 days to help to secure accommodation.
The bill will also ensure that other local services refer those either homeless or at risk of being homeless to local authority housing teams.
Update
The Bill passed its second reading debate on 28 October 2016.
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Posted 20.10.16
St Mungo's: Article link
New research from homelessness charity St Mungo's has revealed that 129 rough sleepers died in London since 2010 - an average of one rough sleeper dying every fortnight.
The Charity's report - Nowhere safe to stay: the dangers of sleeping rough - sheds light on the dangers of sleeping on the streets for those who experience it on a daily basis, including violence, assault, suicide and abuse.
It also highlights how people who turn to councils for help are often being sent away without support or even instructed to sleep rough in order to access services.
The report highlights how a gap in the law means that the statutory protections afforded to families with children and very vulnerable adults miss out people who are left to face extreme risk on the streets.
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Posted 16.10.16
Commons Select Committee: Article link
The Communities and Local Government Committee published its report in support of legislation aimed at reducing homelessness by ensuring that vulnerable people receive consistently high levels of service from local housing authorities across the county.
The Committee welcomes the Homelessness Reduction Bill's focus on homelessness prevention.
It also supports the Bill's requirement for the Government to provide a mandatory code of practice for councils and for local housing authorities to carry out assessments of all homelessness applications they receive.
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Posted 07.10.16
London Assembly: Article link
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a new taskforce dedicated to helping tackle the 'shameful' rise in the number of people sleeping rough on London's streets.
Sadiq Khan made the move as statistics revealed that 8,096 people slept on the streets of the Capital last year (at least one night) - a 7% increase compared to the previous year.
To address this issue urgently the Mayor has set up a No Nights Sleeping Rough taskforce, to bring together key players to help rough sleepers and prevent rough sleeping.
The group will focus efforts across the Capital to tackle rough sleeping - identifying what new interventions may be needed to tackle specific problems, and lobbying government for support where necessary.