Homelessness minister ‘on the hunt’ for evidence to strengthen guidance on out-of-area placements

Mr Babarinde said that “too often, for placing authorities, ‘out-of-area’ becomes shorthand for ‘out of sight and out of mind’”. 

“A scandal has unfolded across our country, in which homeless people are dumped from one place to another without the proper assistance that they need to address the causes of their homelessness, or other support that could help to get them back on their feet,” he added.

The MP also also pointed to people who had died in temporary accommodation after being placed in Eastbourne from other areas, including two people who died in Wilmington Square “within two days of each other”.

Inside Housing reported on the inquest into the death of a man from Brighton, who died after being sent 22 miles down the coast to Wilmington Square. The inquest heard that the man had encountered a “circular” homelessness system.

Ms McGovern said in her response that the National Plan to End Homelessness will help to prevent the need for people to be placed in temporary accommodation at all.

“We think our plan will help us get to the root cause of it, but we must act now to address poor practice in managing out-of-area placements to ensure that they are not used where closer, more suitable accommodation is available, and that, where they are used, there is collaboration between the placing and receiving authorities,” she told Mr Babarinde.

She said the current homelessness code of guidance for local authorities makes clear that all temporary accommodation places “must be suitable”, taking account of disruption to schooling and healthcare, and of a household’s specific circumstances.

“The guidance does what I think the member for Eastbourne is arguing for. The question is why it is not working, if the guidance is already there?” the minister added.

In response to Mr Babarinde’s call for stronger guidance, Ms McGovern said: “He mentioned a commitment to strengthen the guidance made by my predecessor, the member for Bethnal Green and Stepney [Rushanara Ali].

“That is restated by the homelessness strategy, and we will be engaging with councils. He has already written on behalf of Eastbourne, and I am in touch with councils week in, week out – including Brighton, which he also mentioned, on a number of occasions. 

“I will be on the hunt for the areas where we need to strengthen the guidance in all my conversations with local authorities.”

Of the national homelessness plan, she added: “We are working on that action plan now. I do not want to give him an arbitrary deadline for work on the guidance, but I am sure we will speak again on many occasions. It will be part of the action plan and the steps that we are taking, coming out of the strategy.”

Ms McGovern also addressed issues around notifications from placing authorities to hosting authorities.

“We know that, across the country, notifications are not always made and, where they are made, the information provided is limited – that is not good enough,” she said.