Forty-Ninth Report - COVID-19: housing people sleeping rough

The government explicitly rejects the recommendation to publish a draft strategy for ending rough sleeping by summer recess, citing the need for sufficient time for development and alignment with the forthcoming 2021 Spending Review.

The government rejects the recommendation to continually publish monthly rough sleeping data, stating the data source is new, its focus remains on the pandemic response, and it will update the committee regularly on progress rather than committing to monthly publication.

The government agrees with the recommendation to reassess funding and streamline streams, committing to combine two homelessness grants into one for 2022, while deferring decisions on multi-year funding certainty to the 2021 Spending Review. The department also commits to using evaluation tools to improve value for money assessments.

The government explicitly rejects the recommendation, stating it continues to work with the Home Office and local authorities, but clarifies that decisions on support for individuals with no recourse to public funds remain the responsibility of local authorities.

The government accepts the recommendation, committing to write to the committee by May 2021 to report progress on securing 3,300 homes under the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme and provide details on ensuring supported and affordable housing for move-on.

The government response acknowledges the committee's report and the evidence-gathering process, serving as an introduction to its subsequent responses.

The government 'agreed' with the committee's implicit recommendation to keep its response under review, stating that it regularly reviews staffing capacity and ensures resources are aligned with ministerial priorities to support efforts in ending rough sleeping and reducing homelessness.

The government explicitly rejects the recommendation to publish a new rough sleeping strategy within six months, citing the need for sufficient time for development and alignment with the forthcoming 2021 Spending Review. It confirms a commitment to ending rough sleeping and will consider a definition for it.

The government disagrees with the committee's criticism but states it will consider a definition for ending rough sleeping, including how the goal will be measured and evaluated.

The government disagrees with the recommendation for a more expansive review covering wider aspects of homelessness, instead stating its commitment to ending rough sleeping and considering underlying causes with cross-government partners. It will also consider a definition of ending rough sleeping.

The government rejected the implicit recommendation related to data publication, explaining that the new data source requires careful consideration and analysis. They stated their focus is on the pandemic response and using data to inform policy decisions, and they will regularly update the Committee on progress.

The government rejected the implicit recommendation to publish all summer/autumn 2020 data, stating the data source is new and needs careful consideration, and their focus is on the pandemic response. They confirmed publishing snapshots up to January 2021 and will update the Committee regularly on progress.

The government agrees with the committee’s points and highlights its commitment of over £750 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. It also outlines efforts to streamline funding, such as combining grants into the new Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022.

The government 'agreed' with the committee's observation, reiterating its commitment of over £750 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping for 2021-22. They also noted efforts to streamline funding streams for local authorities by combining grants into one Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022.

The government agrees with the implied recommendation to streamline funding, committing to combine two homelessness grants into one for 2022 and stating longer-term funding decisions will be made in the 2021 Spending Review.

The government explicitly rejected the committee's implicit recommendation regarding the support for individuals with 'no recourse to public funds', reiterating that the responsibility and judgement for providing support lies with local authorities, as existing rules have not changed. They also noted ongoing work with partners across government to consider the role of immigration policy in ending rough sleeping.

The government disagrees with the committee's assessment regarding ambiguous messaging and difficulties in supporting individuals with no recourse to public funds (NRPF). It reiterates that existing rules for NRPF individuals have not changed, and local authorities are responsible for individual assessments, while also highlighting the Home Office's Rough Sleeping Support Service.

The government disagrees with the committee's observations but does not address the highlighted lack of data or information regarding NRPF cohorts. It instead reiterates its commitment to ending rough sleeping, ongoing work with the Home Office, and existing legal frameworks for local authority support to NRPF individuals.

The government 'agrees' with the committee's observation (mistakenly calling it a recommendation) and commits to reporting progress on the delivery of 3,300 homes under the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, providing further details on housing routes, and writing to the Committee by May 2021.

The government accepted the implicit recommendation to clarify move-on plans, stating they will provide further details on routes out of the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme into other forms of housing and will write directly to the Committee by May 2021.

The government agrees and commits to reporting progress on the delivery of 3,300 homes under the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and will provide further details to the Committee by May 2021.