St Mungo's have announced the sudden passing of their CEO Steve Douglas CBE.  St Mungo's have announced, with deep shock and sadness, that their CEO Steve Douglas CBE passed away suddenly at his home on Sunday 8 May. The 57 year old leaves behond four children and a partner.  Responding to the tragic news, Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link said.  “Steve’s death is a tragic loss for his family, St Mungo’s and for the homelessness movement. I have worked closely Steve, in particular as a member of the Kerslake Commission which he personally instigated and continued t ..read more

New Statutory Homelessness statistics for October to December 2021 show a big rise in the number of people made homeless through private sector evictions. On 28/04/22, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities released the Statutory Homelessness statistics for October to December 2021. Key statistics from the release are below: 64,890 households were owed a homelessness duty (meaning they were judged to be homeless or threatened with homelessness) by their local authority between October and December 2021, down 6% from the previous quarter. Despite this, there has been a 17% i ..read more

Our new animation follows the story of Jade and how a Strength-based Approach helps her build on her skills and achieve her goals.  Homeless Link are delighted to announce the release of a new animation introducing people to a Strengths-based Approach and the impact it can have on the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness.   A Strengths-based Approach is a way of working that focuses on peoples’ strengths, interests and goals and that views them as equal partners in their own support. It involves re-framing the work of organisations to focus on an individual’s ide ..read more

As infection rates remain high it's timely to reflect on how the Government’s Living with Covid Plan is impacting on homelessness services and take stock of what’s happening around testing and vaccination.   The Government’s Living with Covid Plan (published on 21st February) marked the end of most mandatory restrictions for the general population but reminded us that COVID-19 will continue to be with us for some time to come.   Whilst the plan confirmed the ending of free community testing after 1st April -  following successful lobbying by the sector -  the government an ..read more

Homelessness and trauma often go hand in hand. But many services don’t fully understand trauma’s impact on people. Through shining a spotlight on two members, we explore what can be achieved through embedding a trauma informed approach.   When Fami* moved to England to join her husband, a successful businessman, she was hopeful of more opportunities for her and her children than she had in her native Pakistan. But, over a number of years, her husband was both verbally and violently abusive towards her. She was desperate to leave him but had no recourse to public funds. Eventually ..read more

The consultation is a great opportunity to provide evidence which could lead to embedding more compassionate, support-led approaches across the country.   The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced a consultation seeking views on the replacement of offences previously held in the Vagrancy Act. The Vagrancy Act was passed through Parliament in 1824 and made it an offence to sleep rough or engage in begging activity in England and Wales.  As recently as 2020/21, over 800 criminal cases relating to begging reached a first hearing in magistrates courts ..read more

The war in Ukraine and  the desperate attempts by millions of Ukrainian people to flee to safety has filled us all with horror. In this blog we set out some of the facts about the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, we highlight some challenges and ask for your input. We have all watched with despair as the situation in Ukraine has developed. And our hearts go out to the millions who are now fleeing the country to reach safety, as well as those who remain there.  Through tapping into the generosity of the British public, the Homes for Ukraine scheme is innovative and welcome. The UK ..read more

Over 4,000 council seats are up for election on May 5th. The run-up to the election is the perfect time to engage candidates, possibly benefitting your service now and in the future.  On 5th May, over 4,000 council seats across 146 councils are up for election in England.   While central Government controls the funding local authorities receive, local councillors do have significant powers. From decisions around the building of new homes for social rent, to how existing stock is allocated, to funding decisions that could directly affect the service you run, the make-up of a loc ..read more

With applications open for the Homeless Link Excellence Awards, new judge Jo Prestidge – Homeless Link’s Head of National Practice Development - explains why she's proud to be judging this year's competition and why we need to celebrate more.  The last three years have put the homelessness sector under a pressure we could never have imagined. People working in Homeless Link’s member organisations showed incredible flexibility and resilience to ensure that people experiencing homelessness were safeguarded from the coronavirus, whilst dealing with its impact in each of their own lives too ..read more

With the cost of living crisis starting to take hold, Director of StreetLink Fiona Colley writes about why she’s thankful for the commitment of StreetLink’s supporters. On 16th February, as Storms Dudley and Eunice were brewing, we at StreetLink sent out an emergency appeal.   No one should have to sleep rough in any conditions, but sleeping on the streets during periods of extreme weather can put people at risk of severe health issues which can, at times, be fatal.   That’s why we asked people to spare what they could to help the StreetLink team provide fast, accurate ale ..read more