Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has urged government officials to adopt a more innovative approach in addressing homelessness. Burnham emphasized that homelessness is a solvable issue and criticized government policies that contribute to the problem.
The new National Plan to End Homelessness by the Labour Party aims to reduce street homelessness by half and eradicate the issue of families being stuck in inadequate housing. The plan, supported by £3.5 billion in funding, focuses on preventing households from falling into homelessness in the first place.
Although Burnham has successfully reduced street homelessness in his region by 42%, he believes that the national government’s strategies should be more ambitious. He highlighted the effectiveness of approaches like “housing first,” “Everyone In,” and “Bed Every Night” in saving costs and emphasized the importance of a radical shift in tackling homelessness.
Burnham criticized Chancellor Rachel Reeve’s decision to maintain the freeze on housing benefit levels and the Home Office’s policy of hastily evicting asylum seekers, which has led to more people ending up on the streets. The shortened timeline for asylum seekers to find new accommodation after being granted leave to remain has raised concerns among various organizations.
Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern responded to Burnham’s remarks by emphasizing the government’s commitment to preventing homelessness and increasing support to prevent families from becoming homeless. McGovern highlighted initiatives like the child poverty strategy aimed at boosting family incomes to prevent homelessness.
The conversation around addressing homelessness continues to evolve, with stakeholders pushing for more proactive measures to combat this complex societal issue.