The government has confirmed it will bring forward amendments to the Social Housing Bill to prevent homelessness earlier, reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and keep more social homes within the sector.
Announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Monday 28 September, the measures are intended to:
- Help councils address homelessness pressures
- Strengthen partnership working across the housing sector
- Maintain the long-term supply of social housing
They also aim to ensure that social housing is allocated to those who need it most.
New referral powers for councils
Under the amendments, councils will be given new powers to refer homeless households to private registered providers of social housing. The government says this will strengthen collaboration between councils and housing associations, help reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and improve access to housing for those in greatest need.
Ministers believe the change will create a more streamlined route to permanent accommodation for vulnerable residents. Temporary accommodation has become a pressure point for local authorities, which continue to face rising demand and increasing costs as they try to house households with nowhere else to go.
More time to buy homes before they leave the sector
The Bill will also introduce a new disposals notification requirement. This will give councils and other social housing providers a better opportunity to purchase social homes before they are sold outside the sector. The government intends to extend the notification period to eight weeks.
In practice, a longer window should give organisations more time to assess whether a purchase is viable, and could help keep homes in social ownership that might otherwise be lost to the sector. With demand for affordable housing remaining high, retaining existing stock is a significant part of the supply picture alongside building new homes.
A new Duty to Collaborate
A further measure, the Duty to Collaborate, will require public services to work more closely together to identify people at risk of homelessness. Each will be asked to consider what action it can take, within its existing responsibilities, to help prevent homelessness.
The emphasis is on acting before someone reaches crisis point, rather than responding after a household has lost its home. Housing is rarely the only service involved when someone is at risk, and the duty reflects that prevention often depends on several organisations spotting the signs and acting together.
The announcement follows the government’s earlier commitment of £39 billion over 10 years through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which is intended to support the delivery of new social and affordable housing. Councils and housing associations are expected to continue to play a key role in increasing supply and providing homes for local communities.
Peter Luck, Managing Director, ROCC, welcomed the announcement. He said: “It’s encouraging to see the government looking at both sides of the challenge: helping people who are at risk of homelessness earlier, and holding on to the social homes we already have. Every home that stays within the sector is one more home available to a household that needs it.
“Closer working between councils, housing associations and other public services will only deliver results if the right information reaches the right people at the right time, so we’ll be following the detail with interest as the amendments progress.
“For housing providers, the changes point to closer, more structured working with local authorities and other public bodies. Referral powers, notification periods and a collaboration duty all depend on partners being able to share information, respond promptly and understand the demand on each other’s services.
“How well that works day to day will matter as much as what the legislation says.”
The government has confirmed that it will bring the amendments forward, so they remain subject to the parliamentary process.
As details emerge, several practical questions are likely to interest the sector, including how the referral powers will operate, what councils and providers will be expected to do during the eight-week notification period, and how the Duty to Collaborate will be applied across different public services.
Housing leaders will watch closely as the proposals develop.
