Housing security is something many families feel increasingly anxious about. For some, that means rising rents or short-term tenancies. For others, it means the very real risk of losing their home altogether.
Across the country, homelessness has risen sharply in recent years. More than 110,000 households are now living in temporary accommodation – the highest figure on record – and rough sleeping has increased significantly since the pandemic. At the same time, local authority housing budgets are under severe pressure, with councils carrying billions in temporary accommodation costs.
Behind those numbers are people who need support before a difficult situation turns into a crisis.
Tackling homelessness properly means recognising that emergency help alone is not enough. Prevention, earlier intervention and properly coordinated services are essential if we are to reduce rough sleeping for good.
This week, the Labour Government announced more than £50 million in additional funding to strengthen that approach. A £37 million Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund will back voluntary, community and faith organisations delivering frontline prevention and support. These are often the groups working day to day with people at risk – helping resolve rent arrears, offering outreach, and stabilising circumstances before someone loses their home.
Alongside that, a further £15 million will support areas facing the most entrenched long-term rough sleeping pressures, helping councils and local partners develop more innovative and joined-up responses. The aim is not simply to manage rough sleeping, but to reduce it sustainably.
Labour has committed to halving long-term rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament as part of its National Plan to End Homelessness. That is an ambitious target, and ambition must be matched with sustained investment and delivery.
Here in North West Cambridgeshire, I see the value of that work locally. I recently visited Dragonheart Homes, which provides safe, supported accommodation and the structured help people need to regain stability. Seeing that support reinforces how much difference the right help, delivered at the right time, can make.
Groups like Safer Off The Streets Peterborough are also out week after week supporting people sleeping rough and connecting them to services. That consistent local presence makes a tangible difference.
But demand is rising, and these organisations cannot shoulder that responsibility alone. Prevention only works if services are properly funded and joined up with mental health provision, addiction support and employment assistance.
Homelessness is not inevitable. With the right focus and sustained commitment, we can reduce rough sleeping, ease pressure on local services and give more people the stability they deserve.
That is the test now – whether we deliver lasting change. I’m confident that with sustained investment and clear accountability, we can move from managing crisis to preventing it.