On Thursday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government unveiled the National Plan to End Homelessness, the long-awaited cross-government strategy on homelessness and rough sleeping.
The strategy contains several policies Centrepoint has long campaigned for. We’re pleased to see a dedicated youth chapter promised for the upcoming Homelessness Code of Guidance, references to our recent Make Work Pay victory, and renewed commitments to building more social housing.
We’re also encouraged by the plan’s focus on prevention. The government’s recognition of early intervention including support for Centrepoint’s Upstream England programme in schools is an important and positive step.
While the announcement represents real progress, important challenges remain. The funding commitments are welcome, but they somewhat fall short of what’s needed to meet the scale of youth homelessness. Some measures strengthen existing duties, yet further action is required to provide the protections young people deserve. Ongoing pressures from the lack of affordable homes to rising rents, gatekeeping and frozen benefits continue to push many into crisis.
To truly end youth homelessness, the strategy must go beyond emergency responses and address these root causes. Centrepoint is ready to work with government to make sure the next steps meet the scale of the challenge and deliver for young people who all deserve a safe, secure home.
Steps in the right direction
The strategy delivers on several measures Centrepoint has championed for many years. Most notably, the Government will introduce a dedicated youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance and develop a Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit. Together, these should give councils clearer guidance on best practice and ensure young people receive consistent, appropriate support when they first approach their local authority.
Centrepoint has also been campaigning on many of these issues alongside sector partners through the Youth Chapter Collective, for which Centrepoint serves as Secretariat. Read the Youth Collective’s response.
We also welcome the recognition of the importance of early intervention. The strategy highlights the success of Centrepoint’s Upstream England pilots in schools and signals interest in expanding this work. Early support is vital for identifying young people at risk before they reach crisis point.
Supported housing and Make Work Pay
The Government has reaffirmed the Make Work Pay reforms - a major win for Centrepoint’s policy and campaigning teams. The measures (initially announced in The Budget) will introduce new earned income disregards which will help young people in supported and temporary accommodation keep more of their earnings and remove the financial cliff edge that previously discouraged them from progressing in work.
On top of this, Homelessness Minister Alision McGovern said in a speech to the Commons yesterday: "I am proud that the strategy prioritises the targeted prevention of homelessness among vulnerable groups, like young people and survivors of domestic abuse. We are providing more support to young people in supported housing, helping them to develop the skills and independence they need. By making work pay, crucially, by removing the work disincentive for those in temporary accommodation and supported housing, we are ensuring that a job is a reasonable and achievable outcome."
Social housing and access to a stable home
A section of the strategy focuses on increasing the supply of social and affordable housing, including investment through a new 10-year programme that could deliver 300,000 homes, with 180,000 at Social Rent. For young people on low incomes, social housing is a lifeline but only if it is delivered quickly and, in the places, where it is most needed.
The Government has also removed local connection tests for care leavers under 25, meaning they shouldn’t be blocked from accessing social housing because of their care placements. This is a positive step, though it still relies on social homes being available.
Employment support and opportunities
The strategy also commits to personalised employment support for people experiencing homelessness, reflecting recommendations Centrepoint presented to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. Tailored advice and flexible opportunities are essential for young people who face unique barriers when trying to get into work.
Housing security and temporary accommodation
The Government says it wants more people to stay in their home or access alternative accommodation when they contact their council for help rather than being pushed into temporary accommodation. It also restates the requirement that families must not remain in B&Bs for more than six weeks. These goals are welcome but largely reiterate existing law rather than offering new solutions.
Rough Sleeping and Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme
Unlike previous pledges to end rough sleeping, the new strategy aims to halve it. This may be a more realistic target, given rising rents, insecure incomes and the severe shortage of affordable homes.
Furthermore, the strategy maintains funding for the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme a vital source of specialist housing but the new allocation of £93 million is a sharp drop from the £200 million announced in 2022. Since 2022, we have seen a steady increase in rough sleepers, including a 20 percent increase between 2023-24, so this reduced investment is a concern.
What the National Youth Strategy says about youth homelessness
Also released this week, the government’s National Youth Strategy underscores the importance of preventing youth homelessness and notably opens by acknowledging Centrepoint’s significant contribution.
In the Ministerial foreword, Centrepoint is directly referenced as a key influence, recognising the young people we support as “ambitious” and deeply aware of what needs to change. This is an encouraging signal that youth voice and frontline expertise are helping to shape national policy.
Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy opened saying: ‘It is over 20 years since I found a group of young people at the youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint, who taught me everything I know about how to make change. Those inspirational young people knew better than any government what was going wrong in their lives and needed us to respond, by walking alongside them to help them to fix it.’
Overall, this week marks several milestones for Centrepoint; a Youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance, Upstream, Make Work Pay (and this being mentioned in the House of Commons). However, there is always more to be done and Centrepoint stands ready to work with the Government to ensure these commitments become real change and that every young person has the safe home and stability they deserve.
