Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023 – 2028

National Policy

Our last Strategy was published in 2019. Since then, there have been changes to national policy and legal context that may have an impact on how local authorities deliver housing and homelessness services. These include:

  • The Tenants Fee Act 2019: Applies to new or renewed tenancies from 1 June 2019. The aim of the Act is to reduce the upfront fees and ongoing tenancy costs, with responsible payment transparency from the start for tenants.
  • The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper 2020: Sets out the actions that Government will look to introduce to ensure that social housing is safe to live in, residents are listened to, the provision of good quality homes, and there is opportunity for change when things go wrong.
  • Building Safety Act 2022: Gives homeowners and residents more rights, powers, and protection so homes are safer.
  • Domestic Abuse Act 2021: Enacted January 2022, it is the first Act to include a legal definition of domestic abuse and recognises all the forms that domestic abuse can take. It introduces a statutory duty on local authorities to support survivors of domestic abuse.
  • Fairer Private Rented White Paper 2022: Aims to redress the balance between landlords and private renters, through support for cost-of-living pressures and new measures to tackle unfair rents.
  • Ending Rough Sleeping 2022: Building on the progress made since the introduction of the Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018, this Strategy sets out how Government will take action to end rough sleeping, with key themes being prevention, intervention, and recovery. Stable Homes, Built on Love: Implementation Strategy and Consultation.
  • Children’s Social Care Reform 2023: Provides context to the barriers faced by care leavers in securing and maintaining affordable housing and places them at greater risk of homelessness. Alongside the Joint Housing Protocols for Care Leavers 2020, the Strategy focuses on increasing the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and reducing care leaver homelessness.