Housing

New 'Housing First' strategy could be game-changer, study finds

Crisis report finds a new model for supporting homeless people could be cheaper and more effective than current reliance on hostels

A radical new approach to supporting homeless people has been hailed as cheaper and more effective than the current, hostel-based model.

A report on the “Housing First” strategy, commissioned by the charity Crisis, shows how it might just deliver massive savings for government shelling out billions on the housing benefit-dependent hostel system.

The strategy is based on a simple, bold idea: give a homeless person a home. By giving rough sleepers who have moved in and out of the hostel system some accommodation of their very own, Housing First offers a better way to help them deal with addiction and mental health problems.

Rather than making them go through complicated tests and “good behaviour” steps while staying in hostels to make sure they are “housing ready” – as is currently the case – the person is trusted to turn a corner independently, with support provided at a distance.

Not only is it more effective, but Housing First also makes sense for the public purse

The new Crisis report draws on existing analysis and interviews with people in the sector to estimate how it might work if rolled out across the Liverpool city region.

The potential savings in that one area alone are estimated at between £1.18 million and £4.02 million a year by 2023/24. Not only is it more effective, but Housing First also makes sense for the public purse

Steve Rotherham, the Mayor of the Liverpool city region, said it presented an “exciting opportunity to change how we tackle homelessness.”

“There are limitations to the current system which mean that all too often the most vulnerable rough sleepers are falling through the cracks,” he said. “We want to make sure that anyone finding themselves homeless is able to secure a stable, secure and permanent home with support that is right for them.”

Potential savings are estimated at between £1.18 million and £4.02 million a year by 2023/24

The Big Issue championed the Housing First idea last year as a means of preventing people from getting stuck in costly cycle of dependency.

The current system is costly to maintain as housing benefit is usually claimed on behalf of each person living in communal hostels, and extra funding is also required to run support facilities. As many Big Issue magazine vendors have told us, they are often unpleasant places that can exacerbate addiction and mental health problems.

Researchers at the University of York found the potential annual savings of adopting the Housing First strategy as an alternative ranged between £3,048 and £4,794 per person.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis said: “It sounds obvious, but for these people, the stability and security of their own front door can be a life changing first step towards recovery.”

“Not only is it more effective, but Housing First also makes sense for the public purse.”

Our 2020 Impact Report

The Big Issue has given more than £1 million support to Big Issue vendors struggling due to the lockdown restrictions. To mark the significant milestone, we have published an impact report, documenting the seismic shift the organisation has undergone in the past 12 months.

View Report

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn
Housing

Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill
Renters and the Renters Reform Bill
Renting

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill

ONS U-turns on plan to stop publishing data on deaths of homeless people after furious outcry
homeless deaths
homelessness

ONS U-turns on plan to stop publishing data on deaths of homeless people after furious outcry

UK housing is worst value for money of any advanced economy: 'We are a joke'
UK houses are the worst value for money
Housing

UK housing is worst value for money of any advanced economy: 'We are a joke'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know