Commission on homelessness calls for reintroduction of temporary ban on evictions during cost of living crisis

The cost of living crisis could have a catastrophic impact on homelessness unless the Government acts with the same urgency seen with the Everyone In initiative at the start of the pandemic.

That warning has come from the Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in a report A New Way of Working: Ending Rough Sleeping Together – Progress Report September 2022.

The commission is led by Lord Kerslake, a former head of the civil service and former chief executive of Sheffield City Council and comprises 36 experts from the health, housing and homelessness sectors.

Recommendations included reintroducing a temporary ban on evictions, as seen during the pandemic, to ensure that no one is made homeless as a result of the cost of living crisis. This measure has already been announced for Scotland.

Lord Kerslake also called for an increase in the benefit cap and for benefits to be brought in line with inflation immediately – not in April 2023 as planned - with local housing allowances raised in line with the bottom 30% of the market

The new report tracks the progress against its original recommendations made last September, grading them as green, amber or red. It found 27% were rated ’green’ and so achieved.

Lord Kerslake said: “Two years on from the pandemic we are facing a new crisis. The cause may be different by it the response must be equally urgent.”

He called for a similar exercise to Everyone In - which took rough sleepers of the streets during the pandemic - with an additional mission to ensure that people at risk of homelessness do not end up on the streets.

“Failure to act could see this become a homelessness as well as an economic crisis and the results could be catastrophic; with all the good achieved in reducing street homelessness since the pandemic lost, and any hope of the Government meeting its manifesto pledge to end rough sleeping by 2024 gone,” Lord Kerslake warned.

James Jamieson, chair of the Local Government Association, said: “By working together, councils, government and partners can ensure that people at risk of homelessness get the help they need and prevent homelessness. 

“In particular, we are calling for a fair, accessible and sufficient mainstream benefits system providing financial stability for low income households, protecting those who are unable to work, reducing health inequalities and linking effectively with key local partners to improve job opportunities and socio-economic wellbeing.”

Rebecca Sycamore, interim chief executive of the homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said: “As a leading provider of frontline homelessness services we see every day the very real and very harsh reality of this financial crisis.

“And with more price increases, and the colder weather coming, it is very likely many of those currently just scraping by will no longer be able to manage, and could be at real risk of losing their homes.”

The commission will publish a second progress report in 2023.

Mark Smulian