Select committee to hold short inquiry into recent rise in rough sleeping

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched a short-inquiry into rough sleeping, “looking at the causes of rough sleeping, why it has been on the rise in recent years, and examining potential solutions”.

The inquiry, which is the second launched within a week after the Committee revealed it will also investigate the experiences of children in temporary accommodation, will begin on 12 November, with witnesses including Lord John Bird, co-founder of The Big Issue.

The committee will also hear from council and homeless charity representatives.

Previous approaches taken by Government and local authorities to tackle rough sleeping will be considered.

The Committee will additionally analyse the effectiveness of initiatives such as the ‘Housing First’ strategy, which was recently estimated to boast a benefit:cost ratio of 2.1 in expected benefits.

Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “There are currently shocking levels of rough sleeping on our streets and very real concerns that worse is to come this winter.

“The success of the 'Everyone In' policy during the pandemic showed that it is possible to end this problem.

“Yet, it appears that every year, especially in the lead up to Christmas, we are caught by surprise by the seriousness of the rough sleeping crisis and fail to put in place the right investment and support to fix it.”

She added: “In our rough-sleeping evidence session next week, and in our follow up questions to the Minister next year, we want to explore the barriers experienced by those sleeping rough when trying to access the support they need to help them off the streets.

“We also want to examine potential solutions and the most effective ways to tackle rough sleeping.”

The Inquiry will be available to watch via the Parliament’s online livestream service here.

Harry Rodd