28/10/2016

:00:52. > :01:04.Order. Order. Sir David Burrows I move this House sits in private The

:01:05. > :01:10.question is the House sits hn private. As many of that ophnion say

:01:11. > :01:16.aye, to the contrary no. I think the noes have it. Order. The cldrk will

:01:17. > :01:26.proceed to read the orders of the day. Homeless reduction second

:01:27. > :01:34.reading. Now. Thank you Mr Speaker. I beg to move that the homeless

:01:35. > :01:40.reduction bill be read a sect time. -- second time. I have a sm`ll

:01:41. > :01:45.number of properties in the private sector and I'm the vice president of

:01:46. > :01:49.the Local Government Associ`tion. The reality is homelessness is

:01:50. > :01:54.something that comes as a rdsult of many different causes. It c`n be a

:01:55. > :01:58.relationship break down, thd end of a private sector tenancy, someone

:01:59. > :02:05.being ill, injured or many other causes. What we are as MPs know is

:02:06. > :02:10.that the result of homelessness is often that someone who reaches that

:02:11. > :02:14.crisis will naturally go to the local authority seeking help. The

:02:15. > :02:17.sad fact is when someone is threatened with homelessness, when

:02:18. > :02:25.they go to the local authorhty, there is likely as not they will be

:02:26. > :02:28.told go home, wait until thd bailiffs arrive and come back when

:02:29. > :02:33.you're on the streets. When you re on the the streets and reached that

:02:34. > :02:38.crisis point, you arrive at the housing office and they will do a

:02:39. > :02:44.checklist. Are you addicted to drugs, alcohol, do you have children

:02:45. > :02:50.under the age of 16, are yot suffering from some terribld illness

:02:51. > :02:54.or other problem? I give wax. I m grateful to him to giving w`y. He

:02:55. > :03:00.talks about local authoritids and he is right that changes need to be

:03:01. > :03:02.made. Does he agree for bill to be successful, it needs urgent

:03:03. > :03:06.government funding behind local authorities so they can tackle

:03:07. > :03:11.mental health and drug abusd and so forth and without that fundhng the

:03:12. > :03:15.good aspirations here won't work. I thank the honourable lady for that

:03:16. > :03:22.intervention, this bill is part of a strategy. It is not the sold basis

:03:23. > :03:28.behind we have, and quite clearly under the new doctrines that we

:03:29. > :03:31.operate in this Parliament, new duties mean new money for local

:03:32. > :03:38.government and I hope to he`r that from the minister later. Thd reality

:03:39. > :03:43.is that after those checks, if you're priority homeless, then the

:03:44. > :03:46.local authority will house xou. Probably in emergency accomlodation,

:03:47. > :03:49.which is expensive to the local authority and not very suit`ble for

:03:50. > :03:57.the people that have to to be housed. The nonpriority homdless are

:03:58. > :04:03.told go out, sleep on the streets, sleep on a park bench and you may,

:04:04. > :04:09.you may be picked up by a charity under the no second night ott

:04:10. > :04:13.programme. That is a nation`l disgrace at a time when we have

:04:14. > :04:21.employment at the highest ldvel ever, a relevant television`lly low

:04:22. > :04:23.level of -- relatively low level of unemployment, a single person

:04:24. > :04:32.sleeping rough is a national disgrace. For 40 years, we hn this

:04:33. > :04:37.House have forced local authorities toration help they give. I believe

:04:38. > :04:45.that people enter public service to deliver a service to the public not

:04:46. > :04:50.to deny them service. I givd way. I am grateful to the member. He points

:04:51. > :04:55.to the fact that local authorities will make ane Cescment and some

:04:56. > :05:01.people -- make an assessment, but will he agree too many vulndrable

:05:02. > :05:05.people do end up sleeping rough sleeping on the streets, including

:05:06. > :05:09.people discharged from hosphtal and people discharged from custody? I

:05:10. > :05:14.thank the honourable lady for that intervention. That is why I'm

:05:15. > :05:18.bringing this bill. The reality is anyone who is sleeping rough is

:05:19. > :05:23.extremely vulnerable. They're liable to be mugged, likely to be `ttacked,

:05:24. > :05:26.women are likely to be raped and horrible things happen to pdople

:05:27. > :05:31.that are forced to sleep rotgh. I don't want to see that happdn in

:05:32. > :05:39.this society. If I may I will make progress. When I was drawn No 2 in

:05:40. > :05:44.the private members bill Ba loshgts I decided what could I do that would

:05:45. > :05:52.make a difference. I never realised how popular I could become

:05:53. > :05:56.overnight. I will give way. I am grateful, I too congratulatd him on

:05:57. > :06:02.bringing forward this bill `nd the number of people here this lorning

:06:03. > :06:06.attests to its importance. Would he agree that there are import`nt

:06:07. > :06:13.lessons to be learned from the action that was taken by Tony

:06:14. > :06:18.Blair's Government between 0998 and 2009 when rough sleeping was cut by

:06:19. > :06:21.three quarters in this country. Not least the close focus on thd issue

:06:22. > :06:26.which the Prime Minister personally gave it. Does he believe he will

:06:27. > :06:31.enlist the present Prime Minister's equal focus in cutting the rough

:06:32. > :06:38.sleeping we face? Thank you, but the fact is for 40 years in this House,

:06:39. > :06:43.we have forced local authorhties to rashion help they provide to the

:06:44. > :06:48.homeless. When I looked at what I could do, I served in local

:06:49. > :06:52.government for 24 years and saw the damage that homelessness can do to

:06:53. > :06:58.ordinary people who have lost their homes. I also sit on the colmittees

:06:59. > :07:04.and the local government select committee and our inquiry w`s

:07:05. > :07:09.published in August. The colmittee made efforts with ex-homeless people

:07:10. > :07:14.and young care leaver and these led to recommendations in the rdport and

:07:15. > :07:18.then formed the basis of thhs bill. Now, the aim of this bill is to

:07:19. > :07:23.prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. And to

:07:24. > :07:27.sprent people from -- prevent people have ever having a to sleep rough.

:07:28. > :07:32.In case anyone misunderstands the level that we have got in this

:07:33. > :07:39.country, rough sleeping has doubled since 2010. It was up by 30$ last

:07:40. > :07:47.year alone with over 3,000 people reported as sleeping rough on any

:07:48. > :07:50.one night in 2014. In London, 8 096 people slept rough at some point

:07:51. > :08:02.during the year. That was an increase of 7% compared to 2014 15.

:08:03. > :08:11.Last year, 112,000 people in England made a homelessness applications. A

:08:12. > :08:18.26% rise since 2010. But only 5 ,000 were accepted as homeless and should

:08:19. > :08:22.be assisted. Now, if we combat homelessness at an early st`ge,

:08:23. > :08:29.before it becomes a crisis, we will actually save money in the long run

:08:30. > :08:35.for local authorities. Rese`rch that has been commissioned based on

:08:36. > :08:41.interviews with 86 people that have experienced homelessness has

:08:42. > :08:49.estimated that 742,000 pounds of public money was spent on 86 cases

:08:50. > :08:59.during 90 days. If you put on that over all public spending. Spending

:09:00. > :09:03.would fall by 370 million if 40 how how people were re-- 40,000 people

:09:04. > :09:10.were prevented from suffering homelessness. I give way to the

:09:11. > :09:15.honourable lady. Thank you. I add my congratulations to him on sdcuring

:09:16. > :09:20.this bill aye support it. -, and I support it. Does he agree what we

:09:21. > :09:23.have seen in Wales is the L`bour government introducing meastres

:09:24. > :09:27.similar to the ones he is introducing in this bill and they

:09:28. > :09:31.starting to work and homelessness is dropping and he is talking `bout a

:09:32. > :09:35.false economy, they have put money up front to deal with is, btt I m

:09:36. > :09:41.sure they will save money in the long run. Thank you. I'm coling on

:09:42. > :09:47.to the situation in Wales in a few minutes. Clearly the anticipated

:09:48. > :09:51.savings that we are talking about will include direct savings to local

:09:52. > :10:00.authority homelessness teams the. Drawing on lessons from Walds,

:10:01. > :10:08.academics havest may wanted that a projested -- have estimated it could

:10:09. > :10:12.produce additional costs of 43. million, offset by a reducthon on

:10:13. > :10:18.spending on people that are already homeless. That is partly dud to

:10:19. > :10:21.reductions in the use of telporary accommodation and preventing

:10:22. > :10:26.homelessness. This should rdduce the number of people that lose their

:10:27. > :10:31.home and require more intensive support through relief duty or on

:10:32. > :10:35.offer of settled accommodathon under the main duty of homelessness. This

:10:36. > :10:43.should make savings for othdr bodies. Research into cost savings

:10:44. > :10:50.in England suggests that in just six months we could six 2.88 million

:10:51. > :10:56.from the criminal justice sxstem and 1.2 to 3.8 million for the NHS,

:10:57. > :11:01.including over half a million of savings for A departments. We know

:11:02. > :11:07.people that are sleeping rotgh are more likely to suffer respiratory

:11:08. > :11:16.diseases and have to use thd NHS. Now in Wales, the housing W`les act

:11:17. > :11:20.2014 came into force on 27th April 2015A great day. The day after my

:11:21. > :11:24.birthday. The experience gahned from this has helped to inform mdasures

:11:25. > :11:31.put forward in this bill in certain areas. Wales has seen a 69%

:11:32. > :11:45.reduction in the number of households which are owed the main

:11:46. > :11:52.homeless duty. In the first year, 7,158 households were provided with

:11:53. > :11:58.prevention assistance. Of which 4,599, 65% had a successful outcome.

:11:59. > :12:06.Temporary accommodation, th`t has fallen by 16% in Wales sincd the

:12:07. > :12:14.introduction of the new duthes, saving 697,000. In London, dven half

:12:15. > :12:21.this reduction would save some 7 million poundses.

:12:22. > :12:27.I am most grateful to him, `nd I am here to support this excelldnt bill

:12:28. > :12:31.today. But observe that contemporary London

:12:32. > :12:34.boroughs, London borough sedking temporary accommodation, is a factor

:12:35. > :12:39.which considerably disrupts the housing market for my consthtuents.

:12:40. > :12:43.Will he agree that we need luch more affordable homes both to bux and

:12:44. > :12:47.rent everywhere, and especi`lly in my constituency?

:12:48. > :12:52.I thank him for that intervdntion. Clearly, this bill does not deal

:12:53. > :12:56.with the issues of supply, but it is an important issue, but I think it

:12:57. > :12:59.is quite clear, we need to hncrease the supply of affordable holes right

:13:00. > :13:06.across the country, but particularly in London.

:13:07. > :13:09.Will he give way? Yes, I will. He suggested that there would be a

:13:10. > :13:15.saving to local authorities in London. Why is it, then, th`t might

:13:16. > :13:19.counsel, the London Borough of Redbridge, estimates his bill could

:13:20. > :13:24.actually add ?5 million addhtional cost to our local authority?

:13:25. > :13:29.I thank the honourable gentleman for the intervention. The reality is

:13:30. > :13:32.that quite clearly, there whll be an increasing costs associated with the

:13:33. > :13:36.help and advice and preventhon duties, and clearly, that ndeds to

:13:37. > :13:40.be funded by the government, and I am sure we will hear good ndws from

:13:41. > :13:45.the government when the wind-up speeches take place. However, the

:13:46. > :13:48.reality is that local authorities, and there are beacons of excellence

:13:49. > :13:53.across this country where homelessness is not an issud, and

:13:54. > :13:56.people do do the prevention duty properly. I don't want to comment on

:13:57. > :14:01.particular councils, but cldarly, I would suggest that he needs to

:14:02. > :14:07.advise his counsel to look very carefully at this bill, and London

:14:08. > :14:13.councils overall support thhs bill, and quite clearly recognise their

:14:14. > :14:18.duty, and will of course sedk funding for the duties. Mr Speaker,

:14:19. > :14:23.I just want to relate, I have received an e-mail from a young lady

:14:24. > :14:29.from Wales. If I may just rtn this through. The reality is that one of

:14:30. > :14:36.the things I seek to do in ly bill is to revolutionise what happens in

:14:37. > :14:39.housing offices, and Carol Lartin, a line manager for homelessness and

:14:40. > :14:44.housing options were rural county in West Wales, who has had much

:14:45. > :14:48.experience of housing in both England and way, wrote to md and

:14:49. > :14:53.said this: Since the changes, it has taken a total rethink of thd way my

:14:54. > :14:56.staff work, has needed additional funding, we are changing thhngs

:14:57. > :15:01.round to take a preventativd approach at the outset. It was

:15:02. > :15:06.certainly not an easy process, but with a strong belief, it can be

:15:07. > :15:10.achieved. Some additional txpes of training and negotiation skhlls it

:15:11. > :15:14.really does work. The roles within my team are more positive dte to the

:15:15. > :15:18.help they are able to give, and the clients coming through the doors are

:15:19. > :15:22.more likely to join in a mutually agreed personal housing plan, where

:15:23. > :15:26.the clients take some responsibility as well as the officers, all working

:15:27. > :15:30.towards a positive outcome, and that is precisely what my bill sdeks to

:15:31. > :15:33.achieve. I give way to the honourable lady.

:15:34. > :15:38.Thank you. Would the honour`ble member agree with me that hhs bill

:15:39. > :15:43.addresses the cruelty of thd current system, and what is brilliant about

:15:44. > :15:49.the bill is that it will allow local housing staff to express more of

:15:50. > :15:53.their innate compassion and kindness, and, like many MPs, I have

:15:54. > :16:00.found incredible staff who `re helpful to me as an MP when people

:16:01. > :16:04.are in desperate need, and H will say, they have done outstanding work

:16:05. > :16:07.in Richmond Borough, and thhs bill will help them to do their job at

:16:08. > :16:12.that high touch ability that they all have.

:16:13. > :16:20.I thank the honourable lady that intervention, and clearly this is

:16:21. > :16:24.the aim -- to River -- revolutionised the service hn local

:16:25. > :16:28.authorities. I give way. I commend him for bringing this

:16:29. > :16:32.bill, and I am pleased that he acknowledges for it to work, it

:16:33. > :16:35.needs resources behind it. Can I put this to him about prevention? It is

:16:36. > :16:43.important that prevention actually means that. I remember a tile it

:16:44. > :16:45.came up in a debate in this place, in fact, whether previous

:16:46. > :16:49.administration of Birminghal City Council, and a Conservative control,

:16:50. > :16:55.was actually using the term "Prevention" to kind of pass the

:16:56. > :16:57.buck for other people to give advice to people threatened by

:16:58. > :17:01.homelessness. It is really hmportant that prevention means that, and not

:17:02. > :17:05.sickly passing the buck. I'm grateful for the intervdntion,

:17:06. > :17:08.and clearly, there are beacons of excellence in local authorities do a

:17:09. > :17:15.really good job on preventing homelessness, but unfortunately the

:17:16. > :17:20.norm is that they don't. We have to make sure they don't pass the buck,

:17:21. > :17:24.they come up to the plate and deliver for homeless people. So the

:17:25. > :17:28.aims of this bill, first and foremost, to ensure that no one is

:17:29. > :17:31.turned away at the door. Evdryone should be entitled to some form of

:17:32. > :17:35.support before they literally get the stage of having nowhere safe to

:17:36. > :17:38.stay. No one should go to their council for help and be told, come

:17:39. > :17:43.back when the bailiffs have arrived. This bill ensures that everxone

:17:44. > :17:50.regardless of priority needs status is entitled to receive free

:17:51. > :17:55.information, if I may, and `dvice to help with their situation. Ht also

:17:56. > :18:01.means, Mr Speaker, that 56 days prior to someone becoming homeless,

:18:02. > :18:04.they will get help. The council will have to produce a personalised

:18:05. > :18:10.housing plan to create a tahlored road map for preventing homdlessness

:18:11. > :18:13.in that crucial period. This means that both the applicant and the

:18:14. > :18:19.council have an agreed set of steps to fulfil preventing homelessness. I

:18:20. > :18:23.give way. I thank him for giving way, and

:18:24. > :18:27.congratulate him on putting forward to this bill today. But will his

:18:28. > :18:31.bill guard against substand`rd accommodation? Because we would not

:18:32. > :18:34.like to see people being pl`ced on substandard accommodation, which is

:18:35. > :18:36.a big issue up and down the country at the moment.

:18:37. > :18:41.I thank the honourable gentleman, and I am coming on to that

:18:42. > :18:44.particular issue in a moment. But ensuring as well the local

:18:45. > :18:47.connection requirements are working in a way which prevents people from

:18:48. > :18:50.moving from one city to another or another part of London, and

:18:51. > :18:55.demanding housing in London, for example, which would obviously put

:18:56. > :18:59.undue pressure on the systel. It also makes you everyone takds an

:19:00. > :19:01.aspect of personal responsibility, so people would be rewarded with

:19:02. > :19:09.great outcomes through coopdration and engaging with the process. It

:19:10. > :19:12.does bring about a culture change in councils, away from the crisis

:19:13. > :19:15.response towards prevention strategies and more compasshonate

:19:16. > :19:20.approach to helping people hn desperate crisis.

:19:21. > :19:23.Will he give way? I give wax. He will be delighted to know I

:19:24. > :19:25.support his bill. CHEERING

:19:26. > :19:30.. And it is good to see that `ctually,

:19:31. > :19:32.MPs can turn up on a Friday, when a bill is actually genuinely popular

:19:33. > :19:37.and important members of Parliament will stop would he confirm that his

:19:38. > :19:44.bill will actually stop somd of the perverse incentives that I saw when

:19:45. > :19:46.I was volunteering for Saint George's in Leeds, where local

:19:47. > :19:49.authorities are turning awax people who did not have a drug or `lcohol

:19:50. > :19:53.addiction because people with those addictions were seen as a priority,

:19:54. > :19:57.and the people who were turned away felt that in effect they were being

:19:58. > :20:01.told that if they wanted to be housed, they had to develop a drug

:20:02. > :20:07.or alcohol addiction? Would his bill stop those perverse incentives?

:20:08. > :20:12.Thank you. I thank the honotrable gentleman for that intervention and

:20:13. > :20:15.for his support. The realitx is yes, we have to stop these perverse

:20:16. > :20:19.incentives for people to go down roots that we do not want to see

:20:20. > :20:24.them go down. The reality is, the vast majority of people there become

:20:25. > :20:28.homeless do so through no f`ult of their own. They actually just want

:20:29. > :20:32.help and advice from a local authority. This bill will m`ke sure

:20:33. > :20:40.that they get their help and advice at the time when they need ht, not

:20:41. > :20:44.just on priority need. I give way. I would like to join in the

:20:45. > :20:48.universal hymn of praise to be gentleman, but I would suggdst

:20:49. > :20:51.everybody reads This Is London by Ben Judah if they want to know the

:20:52. > :20:56.reality of homelessness in London today. As a former homeless persons

:20:57. > :20:59.officer in full, I can assure you, we did not lack empathy and

:21:00. > :21:03.sympathy. We actually lack housing. I would like to see how we `re going

:21:04. > :21:06.to address that. But on the point of priorities, I am very, very proud

:21:07. > :21:12.that this government and thd last Appiah roadside -- have prioritised

:21:13. > :21:15.people leaving the Armed Forces We have a military government. Would

:21:16. > :21:18.his bill still include that prioritisation of people le`ving the

:21:19. > :21:22.Armed Forces? I thank the honourable gentleman to

:21:23. > :21:25.that intervention, and can confirm that the builders include priority

:21:26. > :21:30.for the Armed Forces and people leaving the Armed Forces. I give

:21:31. > :21:33.way. I congratulate him and

:21:34. > :21:37.wholeheartedly support his bill I am glad he referenced the absurd

:21:38. > :21:42.situation where people have to wait until the bailiffs arrived to be

:21:43. > :21:46.evicted to get help from thd housing department, which is one re`son why

:21:47. > :21:49.private landlords are so reluctant to take on housing benefit tenants

:21:50. > :21:52.as well. Can he just reference another particularly vulner`ble set

:21:53. > :21:56.of people he hasn't so far mentioned, and that is children in

:21:57. > :21:59.care or leaving care? The most ridiculous situations, they may be

:22:00. > :22:04.evicted even from council owned housing, only for the counchl to

:22:05. > :22:07.then have to take responsibhlity for them at greater cost and huge social

:22:08. > :22:09.indications for those honourable children.

:22:10. > :22:12.I thank the honourable gentleman so that intervention and can confirm

:22:13. > :22:18.that we will deal with care leavers as part of this bill. It is included

:22:19. > :22:24.and was one of the suggestions made during the pre-scrutiny process of

:22:25. > :22:30.the draft Bill. This does as well hope to stimulate

:22:31. > :22:35.partnerships between local authorities and other bodies, by

:22:36. > :22:39.making sure that key local services are part of the process and have a

:22:40. > :22:42.duty to refer everyone I wotld anyone they identify as being

:22:43. > :22:46.homeless to the local authority responsible. This bill also creates

:22:47. > :22:51.a power of the Secretary of State to introduce a statutory code of

:22:52. > :22:54.practice, providing further guidance on how local authorities should

:22:55. > :22:57.deliver their homelessness `nd prevention duties. This will be

:22:58. > :23:02.amendable and helpful when ht comes to raising standards or sharing best

:23:03. > :23:06.practice. I do not want to be in a position where we stifle local

:23:07. > :23:09.authorities, but have creathve schemes, that make sure all local

:23:10. > :23:12.authorities are brought up to the standard of the best. And also,

:23:13. > :23:19.taking the point the honour`ble gentleman made, within this proposed

:23:20. > :23:23.bill, we are making sure th`t the private sector accommodation has

:23:24. > :23:28.been checked either local atthority when it secures accommodation for

:23:29. > :23:30.vulnerable households, and that it meets the specific suitabilhty

:23:31. > :23:35.requirements prior to being offered to people, and that it meets all the

:23:36. > :23:42.legal checks required properties. That describes the ambit of the

:23:43. > :23:48.bill. It is there to say thhs has been a long process to get to this

:23:49. > :23:51.stage. Crisis convened an expert panel of council ribbons and that

:23:52. > :23:55.lawyers, housing experts, as well as of the charity sectors, to look at

:23:56. > :24:00.how homelessness legislation could be put forward in England. H want to

:24:01. > :24:09.put on record particular th`nks to John Sparks, and others frol Crisis,

:24:10. > :24:11.in particular, from their exceptional support throughout this

:24:12. > :24:15.process and are working with me to put this legislation togethdr and

:24:16. > :24:19.help it reach this stage. Wd have drawn a low from the select

:24:20. > :24:23.committee report and the work of the expert panel, so our first draft of

:24:24. > :24:29.the Bill was published in Atgust, and then, we put this bill through

:24:30. > :24:32.pre-legislative scrutiny, and the select committee held an enpuiry and

:24:33. > :24:38.produced a report on the dr`ft version of the bill. It is ` complex

:24:39. > :24:42.and unique bill, in that it originates from a select colmittee

:24:43. > :24:44.report, has been scrutinised by a select committee, and subst`ntially

:24:45. > :24:49.amended as a result. Will he give way?

:24:50. > :24:53.I will indeed. I thank him. My honourable friend

:24:54. > :25:00.has set out all the steps that he has taken before this morning in

:25:01. > :25:06.preparing this bill. Would he agree that it really sets out the gold

:25:07. > :25:08.standard, if I can put it lhke that, for what other members should be

:25:09. > :25:13.doing before they bring private member 's' bills to this hotse? They

:25:14. > :25:17.should not just turn up and expect them to get through. Yeah, xeah

:25:18. > :25:22.yeah! I thank the honourable gentleman. I

:25:23. > :25:25.have to say, when I set out on this journey, I did not realise dxactly

:25:26. > :25:32.how much work was going to have to be done! But I think you ard

:25:33. > :25:37.bringing legislation to this place and changing the law, you should go

:25:38. > :25:41.through a long process and lake sure it is thoroughly tested before you

:25:42. > :25:46.presented. So the select colmittee recommended that clause one, the

:25:47. > :25:49.extension of duties to 56 d`ys, be retained, and this has been kept in

:25:50. > :25:53.line with the committee's recommendation. They also found that

:25:54. > :25:57.the original measures regarding the consequences of non-cooperation in

:25:58. > :26:04.the bill did not offer suffhcient support to vulnerable households. As

:26:05. > :26:08.a result, this aspect was completely re-worked, with the bar for

:26:09. > :26:11.non-cooperation during the prevention or relief stage raised to

:26:12. > :26:17.the level of blood Brit and unreasonable refusal to cooperate,

:26:18. > :26:19.to ensure that greater protdction is provided for vulnerable people.

:26:20. > :26:25.Further safeguards have also been put in place so that any hotsehold

:26:26. > :26:28.in priority need who is found to have deliberately and unreasonably

:26:29. > :26:34.have refused to cooperate whll be given an offer of a six-month

:26:35. > :26:42.tenancy. This is also supported by the homelessness charities hnvolved.

:26:43. > :26:44.The prospect of 56 days of ` comedy emergency accommodation was

:26:45. > :26:52.criticised by the committee. They said, while they agree with the idea

:26:53. > :26:56.in principle, we all recognhse that in reality, it is not feasible for

:26:57. > :27:00.councils to provide evidencd to ball homeless people. We heard evidence

:27:01. > :27:04.that there might be some unfortunate and intended consequences, like

:27:05. > :27:07.stimulator and growth of a larket in substandard temporary accomlodation,

:27:08. > :27:09.such as warehouse style accommodation, or diverging

:27:10. > :27:15.resources away from vulnerable people. Primary legislation is not a

:27:16. > :27:18.panacea, and not always the best way to really tackle an issue,

:27:19. > :27:22.particularly one with a complex range of causes.

:27:23. > :27:30.Ration, I'm pleased the Govdrnment has announced a package at the cost

:27:31. > :27:37.of ?40 million to help tackle rough sleeping. I believe this will be a

:27:38. > :27:43.far more effective and flexhble way forward and I commend the work of St

:27:44. > :27:47.Mungo's in particular for the work they do on this. The committee

:27:48. > :27:55.recommended that clause 2 include those who have been experienced or

:27:56. > :27:57.at continued risk of domesthc violence and abuse. The comlittee

:27:58. > :28:02.recommended that the changes recommended that the changes

:28:03. > :28:06.proposed to the definition of a local connection be left unchanged

:28:07. > :28:12.from the original legislation. That has been enacted with a minor

:28:13. > :28:16.correction to the original Tex tot fix an issue surrounding care

:28:17. > :28:22.leavers and making sure thex're protected. I would like to thank the

:28:23. > :28:30.member for Northampton for dnding homelessness for his support in

:28:31. > :28:38.this. I would commend the mdmber for Sheffield South east, the chairman

:28:39. > :28:42.of the SLG committee for his help and guidance during this and making

:28:43. > :28:47.sure the pre-legislative scrutiny was conducted in a fair and

:28:48. > :28:54.transparent manner and now we have a bill that has all party support I'm

:28:55. > :28:58.also delighted that the in securing government support I took into

:28:59. > :29:03.account the views of many interested parties. I'm glad on Monday finally

:29:04. > :29:07.the government announced thdy would support it. Obviously, the benefit

:29:08. > :29:11.of that is that the governmdnt will fund the additional costs, hn line

:29:12. > :29:21.with the long-standing new burdens arrangements. Over time... H will

:29:22. > :29:29.give way. I add my congratulations. He is talking about local atthority

:29:30. > :29:34.funding, that select committee report estimates that 1,100

:29:35. > :29:39.potential extra duty cases could come into force in my area. We have

:29:40. > :29:44.677 statutory homeless cases already. I'm encouraged that extra

:29:45. > :29:50.funding is on the way. Would he not share my concerns about the rate

:29:51. > :29:54.support grant? Ealing was a big loser last time where certahn Tory

:29:55. > :30:02.areas went up. My area estilates we are going to go down by 65% by

:30:03. > :30:09.19/20. It could be great if the Government could give way on this.

:30:10. > :30:14.She tempts he to go down thd route of speaking of the revenue support

:30:15. > :30:20.grant. I will not be tempted to divert from the aims of bill to help

:30:21. > :30:26.prevent homelessness. Over time these measures are likely to save

:30:27. > :30:33.money, because if local authority act earlier, households will receive

:30:34. > :30:37.help earlier and prevent people becoming homeless and leading to

:30:38. > :30:42.expensive accommodation havhng to be provided. I would like too thank the

:30:43. > :30:46.member for Nuneaton, all thd officials in particular for working

:30:47. > :30:54.extremely hard to make sure that we got the Bill to a suitable state

:30:55. > :31:00.that it can pass into legislation. Now, I know this Bill can't do

:31:01. > :31:06.everything about housing. It won't tackle tissues related to stpply. It

:31:07. > :31:11.won't be a magic bullet for clearing the streets of homeless people over

:31:12. > :31:15.night. But it does bring a long term cultural change which over time will

:31:16. > :31:19.bring a different way of working to local authorities and stop people

:31:20. > :31:25.from getting into the terrible position of being homeless hn the

:31:26. > :31:30.first place. I relate one story from my own constituency. I won't name

:31:31. > :31:33.the individual. But ehe was a man that lived in west London, he fell

:31:34. > :31:38.on hard times, he approached his local authority for advice. He found

:31:39. > :31:41.himself passed between various staff members, before Fahding into an

:31:42. > :31:45.agreement with a housing association. He was then evhcted

:31:46. > :31:48.from that property and moved further west. He approached the loc`l

:31:49. > :31:55.authority there and the loc`l authority HP. Again he was passed

:31:56. > :32:01.between staff. The man ended up sleeping rough. After a while he was

:32:02. > :32:05.provided a room by a support group, but left the property through mutual

:32:06. > :32:09.agreement with management. He approached the local authorhty for

:32:10. > :32:12.the third local authority and it was at this point that he contacted my

:32:13. > :32:17.office for help. The local `uthority told him he could not be hotsed

:32:18. > :32:20.There was no help offered, despite his obvious need. My staff

:32:21. > :32:27.approached the office of an MP he had had contact with in the mast and

:32:28. > :32:31.the support officer. There hs a strong suspicion of an undi`gnosed

:32:32. > :32:36.mental illness. Without a pdrmanent address it is difficult for the man

:32:37. > :32:45.to stay with a single GP and obtain a diagnosis. Without a diagnosis is

:32:46. > :32:49.not considered vulnerable. That is why it is important everyond is

:32:50. > :32:56.given support at the start to prevent this this sort of shtuation

:32:57. > :33:01.developing. If I would commdnd members, it is vital members and

:33:02. > :33:05.colleagues in the other plahce refrain from adding amendments if we

:33:06. > :33:09.are to succeed. Private members bills are vulnerable as thex have

:33:10. > :33:16.limited amounts of time to get through Parliament so, amendments

:33:17. > :33:20.are likely to see the Bill fail I welcome today short contribttions

:33:21. > :33:26.from members and some volunteers to serve on the bill committee. Now,

:33:27. > :33:33.there have been some organisations who have raised drafting concerns in

:33:34. > :33:38.some clauses and if the bill succeeds I will investigate them as

:33:39. > :33:43.we go into the committee st`ge. Finally, this bill has recehved the

:33:44. > :33:47.maximum possible amount of pre-legislative scrutiny possible.

:33:48. > :33:52.So members can be confident that it will be workable and has bedn

:33:53. > :33:56.properly costed. Homelessness is a complex issue and no one pidce of

:33:57. > :34:02.legislation can be a sole solution. This bill is one part of a larger

:34:03. > :34:05.strategy, but it is a key one and produces a revolution in local

:34:06. > :34:10.authority housing offices. H would like to place on record my thanks to

:34:11. > :34:15.all those that have helped guide and produce the legislation, but in

:34:16. > :34:18.particular my long suffering Parliamentary assistant, who has

:34:19. > :34:23.been doing virtually nothing else over the last six months th`n get

:34:24. > :34:27.this bill to this stage. Thd government has proven its commitment

:34:28. > :34:32.to social justice in backing this bill. It also demonstrates that the

:34:33. > :34:40.Prime Minister and the Consdrvative Party is the truly reforming

:34:41. > :34:45.progressive party that is ddlivering after 40 years of legislation which

:34:46. > :34:48.has prevented local authorities from offering a service to peopld that

:34:49. > :34:58.are homeless and I commend the bill to this House. The question is that

:34:59. > :35:12.the bill be now read a second time. Mr Clive Betts. Could I beghn by

:35:13. > :35:18.paying real thanks and grathtude to the member for Harrow east `nd the

:35:19. > :35:22.work he has put in to buildhng a coalition of support across this

:35:23. > :35:26.house and for organisations outside this house as well. I don't think we

:35:27. > :35:34.should underestimate the colmitment he has put into this and thd success

:35:35. > :35:39.he has had in building that support for his proposed legislation. Mr

:35:40. > :35:43.Speaker, the the members referred to work of select committee in this

:35:44. > :35:47.regard. In is in House, we `re used to following precedents, we seem to

:35:48. > :35:53.do it all the time. On this occasion I think we have probably made

:35:54. > :35:56.precedent. A report from a select committee, forming the subjdct on

:35:57. > :36:02.way private member's bill h`s been based. That bill been taken by the

:36:03. > :36:06.select committee. With pre-legislative scrutiny and a

:36:07. > :36:12.report produced which is thdn helped shape and form the bill in hts final

:36:13. > :36:20.form we get today. That I think is unique. No one can find an dxample

:36:21. > :36:26.where that has been done before I think Mr Speaker it is an ilportant

:36:27. > :36:34.example of two ways in which backbenchers can best help shape and

:36:35. > :36:40.influence legislation. Coming together in a pow perful wax to way

:36:41. > :36:44.to produce a piece of legislation which has support across thd House

:36:45. > :36:49.and hopefully will reach thd statute book. I would thank all my

:36:50. > :36:55.colleagues for the work thex have put into this as well on thd select

:36:56. > :37:01.committee. We know that homdlessness a growing problem and we sed the

:37:02. > :37:06.increase of local authority acceptances and the growing number

:37:07. > :37:09.of rough sleepers. But we know the figures don't reflect the true

:37:10. > :37:13.situation. The UK statistics are said that the figures are not fit

:37:14. > :37:18.for purpose and the Governmdnt has agreed to try and review those. But

:37:19. > :37:23.we know it is a difficult job. It is difficult enough trying to count

:37:24. > :37:27.rough sleepers and the St Mtngo s estimates are eight times hhgher

:37:28. > :37:29.than the Government's for London. But many people go to a loc`l

:37:30. > :37:35.authority and don't get properly recorded and there are the thousands

:37:36. > :37:39.who are living in overcrowd accommodation, or who are sofa

:37:40. > :37:43.surfing, who don't present to a local authority at all. Thex aren't

:37:44. > :37:52.counted in the figures. But we know they're there. So the probldm is

:37:53. > :37:59.bigger than the figures indhcate. We also know that this bill adlirable

:38:00. > :38:03.though it is will not deal with the fundamental problem of houshng

:38:04. > :38:09.crisis. There is a shortage of housing, caused by decades of not

:38:10. > :38:13.building enough homes from governments of all political

:38:14. > :38:19.persuasions. It was interesting when we took evidence and we askdd three

:38:20. > :38:24.young witnesses what the most important thing we could do in this

:38:25. > :38:30.House to help deal with homelessness. They all said build

:38:31. > :38:35.more social housing. The colmittee in its recommendations in its first

:38:36. > :38:39.report ref flected this in reffest recommendation three and sahd there

:38:40. > :38:45.is a case for the development of homes for affordable rent. Which we

:38:46. > :38:50.encourage the Government to act on. And I think it is hopeful that the

:38:51. > :38:53.new housing minister is beghnning to reflect that in some of his

:38:54. > :38:58.comments. We look forward to the White Paper and the autumn statement

:38:59. > :39:03.and hopefully that will recognise that while homes to buy are

:39:04. > :39:08.important, there are many pdople who can't afford to buy who need a home

:39:09. > :39:17.for rent as well. That is something for the Government. Will he give

:39:18. > :39:20.way? Yes. I welcome his focts on the housing crisis, however successive

:39:21. > :39:25.governments have failed to build enough homes, can I bring hhm back

:39:26. > :39:30.to his point about supply. Hsn't it the case that some of the policies

:39:31. > :39:37.that the Government are putting forward such as forcing council to

:39:38. > :39:44.sell council homes focussing on starter homes rather than council

:39:45. > :39:48.homes is making this problel worse? Well, personally I may agred with

:39:49. > :39:51.the honourable lady from thd select committee point of view we looked at

:39:52. > :39:55.this on the report of housing associations and the right to buy

:39:56. > :40:00.and it is reflected in our report, where we did accept that should be

:40:01. > :40:06.done is there should be a housing programme to provide more homes in

:40:07. > :40:10.local areas that reflected local needs and that should include homes

:40:11. > :40:14.to buy and homes to rents as well. That was agreed that there hs a need

:40:15. > :40:17.to reck nice that housing m`rkets are different and what might be

:40:18. > :40:23.appropriate in London is not necessarily appropriate in the North

:40:24. > :40:29.East and what is appropriatd is we look at local need. That is

:40:30. > :40:35.something we had support on. I will move on to the details of the bill.

:40:36. > :40:39.We looked at the problem of the growing gap between private market

:40:40. > :40:48.rents and the local housing allowance. 40% of homeless cases now

:40:49. > :40:52.are caused by an ending of `n assured short hold tenancy. In

:40:53. > :40:57.Westminster the gap between the average rents and the local housing

:40:58. > :41:03.allowance is now ?500 a month. But it is not just Westminster. In

:41:04. > :41:11.Cambridgeshire it is ?250 a month. They're large figures. If the local

:41:12. > :41:15.housing allowance is froze from now until 2020, that gap will gdt worse.

:41:16. > :41:23.The committee recommended and it is a clear recommendation laid out in

:41:24. > :41:27.the No 2 of our first report, local housing allowance levels should be

:41:28. > :41:37.reviewed to reflect market rents. There is a problem there, that went

:41:38. > :41:42.people are made homeless, in many areas now, there is no soci`l

:41:43. > :41:45.housing for them to go to, `nd no private rented housing they can

:41:46. > :41:49.afford either. That is something that needs addressing. Therd are

:41:50. > :41:52.other problems around supported housing. The government has rolled

:41:53. > :41:59.back from its initial intention to relate the cost of social housing,

:42:00. > :42:03.supported housing, to the local housing allowance. We still need to

:42:04. > :42:05.think through this. There are particular problems about pdople in

:42:06. > :42:10.supported housing who are gdtting back into work and then finding

:42:11. > :42:13.actually they can't meet thd cost of supported housing because the

:42:14. > :42:17.housing benefit is completely withdrawn from them. That problem

:42:18. > :42:20.was raised with a lot of yotng people in our enquiry and is another

:42:21. > :42:23.point that needs addressing so people can get into work ag`in

:42:24. > :42:28.without suddenly finding thdy lose the support of housing at the time

:42:29. > :42:32.they most need it. I am grateful to him for giving way,

:42:33. > :42:36.and congratulate him on the work he has done for the select comlittee as

:42:37. > :42:41.well. Is there not also a vdry acute problem arising from the cuts in

:42:42. > :42:44.housing related support, and which, for example, Oxfordshire Cotnty

:42:45. > :42:49.Council, because of cuts in government support, is drastically

:42:50. > :42:51.cutting the support that thdy can give to local homelessness hostels

:42:52. > :42:56.and threatening to end it all together in three years? And even

:42:57. > :42:59.with all the measures in thhs bill, if it goes ahead, it will bd a

:43:00. > :43:03.disaster, with hostels closhng and people forced onto the stredts.

:43:04. > :43:09.Certainly, when the initial proposal came forward, the costs of supported

:43:10. > :43:11.housing were going to be related to the local housing allowance,

:43:12. > :43:14.virtually every provider of supported housing said they would

:43:15. > :43:17.not be viable. The government has rolled back from that now and are

:43:18. > :43:21.talking about splitting the housing benefit element and the card and

:43:22. > :43:24.support element, with deadlx may be a sensible way forward to hdlp

:43:25. > :43:30.people who get jobs in that situation so they do not lose all

:43:31. > :43:34.those aboard. I think the government will think again about the proposal

:43:35. > :43:37.to force the supported houshng providers to have parents rdduced

:43:38. > :43:43.each year, which is going to cause problems for many, and they are

:43:44. > :43:47.still raising that as a concern Just coming on to what we found in

:43:48. > :43:56.the select committee, in terms of the need to offer better support and

:43:57. > :43:59.advice for people who are presented with homelessness. As the honourable

:44:00. > :44:02.member said, the bill will not remove homelessness, but will

:44:03. > :44:06.address what is a real problem at the moment. We saw some good

:44:07. > :44:08.examples of authorities dealing with homeless people. We went to

:44:09. > :44:13.Birmingham and saw a really joined up service, not only with the

:44:14. > :44:16.housing, with the Children's Services, with authorities,

:44:17. > :44:22.everybody working together. That is not the case everywhere. Crhsis did

:44:23. > :44:25.their mystery shopper in 287 local authorities, and 50 of them were

:44:26. > :44:32.found to have got it wrong. That is 50 out of 87. The variations in

:44:33. > :44:38.support unacceptable, which homeless people get. And Crisis were very

:44:39. > :44:42.clear when they came to the select committee about that, and the select

:44:43. > :44:46.committee said, we have recdived too much evidence of councils and their

:44:47. > :44:50.staff treating homeless people in ways that are dismissive and at

:44:51. > :44:56.times discriminatory. That hs simply not acceptable, and hopefully, the

:44:57. > :44:59.bill, both in the measures hn it now, but also in the propos`ls for a

:45:00. > :45:03.better code of practice, whhch the government is going to bring

:45:04. > :45:07.forward, will address those issues. The honourable member has r`ised the

:45:08. > :45:13.important key measures in the bill, which I am the committee entirely

:45:14. > :45:16.support. The extension from 28 days to 56 days in the time in which

:45:17. > :45:20.homelessness should be propdrly addressed by local authorithes gives

:45:21. > :45:27.more time for potential work to take place. The measures to improve

:45:28. > :45:33.support and advice in the v`rious causes of the bill that we `re now

:45:34. > :45:40.considering, again, are verx welcome indeed. The proposal for a personal

:45:41. > :45:43.plan for individuals who cole forward and present themselves as

:45:44. > :45:47.homeless, again, talking to people about what is possible and what is

:45:48. > :45:50.not possible in terms of addressing the homeless need right frol the

:45:51. > :45:55.very beginning. That is absolutely important. I just hope that some

:45:56. > :46:00.point we can have written in somewhere that in addressing those

:46:01. > :46:03.needs, regard should be had to the schools which children go to and the

:46:04. > :46:07.care and support that homeldss people get from family membdrs and

:46:08. > :46:11.others. Maybe that can be contained in the code of practice which the

:46:12. > :46:14.minister eventually brings forward, because they are important, and we

:46:15. > :46:19.heard evidence about people being offered homes which are two hours'

:46:20. > :46:24.travel away from the school their children go to. If at all possible,

:46:25. > :46:28.that should be avoided. Thank you so much. I want to commend

:46:29. > :46:31.the member for bringing such an important bill to the floor of the

:46:32. > :46:34.house. On the point you raise, families have changed, and there are

:46:35. > :46:38.many more broken families and single men and women out there, so we need

:46:39. > :46:45.to treat them all equally, especially if you're a man becomes

:46:46. > :46:48.single, so we need some powdrs across the system where single men

:46:49. > :46:53.are also treated equally if they become vulnerable and homeldss.

:46:54. > :46:56.There is a very real problel therefore local authorities, who can

:46:57. > :47:01.end up providing tee homes for a family when it split up, and it is a

:47:02. > :47:04.real challenge, and I have ` lot of sympathy with local authorities but

:47:05. > :47:08.equally with people who want to keep contact with their children and

:47:09. > :47:10.maintain good parental relationships, and I think that is

:47:11. > :47:18.something that is a real difficulty we have to recognise. So I welcome

:47:19. > :47:20.that the personal plan inithatives, and particularly welcome thd

:47:21. > :47:26.initiative is in the bill whth regard to clause one, and the

:47:27. > :47:29.stopping of the nonsense th`t homeless people, who are already

:47:30. > :47:33.stressed out and traumatised, should have to go through a court process

:47:34. > :47:37.and sometimes end up being dvicted before the local authority will help

:47:38. > :47:41.them. That is absolutely crtcial to the success of getting a better deal

:47:42. > :47:44.for homeless people. I will just say one thing to the honourable member

:47:45. > :47:49.who has brought the bill forward. Just in terms of the wording. Local

:47:50. > :47:53.authorities can decide that they will force people to go through

:47:54. > :47:57.because process if they can show they have taken reasonable steps to

:47:58. > :48:02.try to persuade the landlord to withdraw the notice or delax

:48:03. > :48:07.applying for an order. That may be reasonable if authorities used it

:48:08. > :48:09.reasonably. I am worried provides a loophole which unreasonable

:48:10. > :48:14.authorities could use to force more people through the court ruled that

:48:15. > :48:17.is intended. I think it is something that will need Ray close monitoring

:48:18. > :48:20.of the legislation to make sure that unintended consequence does not come

:48:21. > :48:26.about. Will he give way?

:48:27. > :48:31.I will. I am extremely gratdful and he speaks from a position of great

:48:32. > :48:36.knowledge. Anyone who goes to Slough station at

:48:37. > :48:39.seven a.m., they will see 20 or 30 children wearing Ealing school

:48:40. > :48:44.uniforms, making a two-hour journey. This is heartbreaking. But can I

:48:45. > :48:47.just ask him, on a particul`r point, one of the most growing are`s of

:48:48. > :48:51.homelessness is parental exclusion. In these cases, it seems to be

:48:52. > :48:54.perverse to ask a parent to evict their daughter or son through the

:48:55. > :48:58.courts. Would he agree with me that if and when this bill goes hnto

:48:59. > :49:02.committee, the issue of pardntal exclusion should be examined in

:49:03. > :49:07.particular detail? I think the intention, and H'm sure

:49:08. > :49:09.the honourable member knows far more about the mechanics of the

:49:10. > :49:14.legislation, is that when someone is threatened with homelessness, they

:49:15. > :49:18.go to the authority, and thdy have an entitlement to proper advice and

:49:19. > :49:23.support, including the workhng out of a personal plan from the

:49:24. > :49:29.beginning, and I think that this aspect of it, which is a kex part of

:49:30. > :49:32.this legislation, but it won't result homelessness for everyone

:49:33. > :49:37.threatened with it, but shotld give a better service for everyone in the

:49:38. > :49:44.situation. To come to a conclusion, just two other particular mdasures

:49:45. > :49:47.which are worthy of comment. The duty for public authorities to refer

:49:48. > :49:49.to a housing authority someone who is homeless or threatened whth

:49:50. > :49:54.homelessness is absolutely relevant. I would just date of the honourable

:49:55. > :49:59.member, where there is a possibility of some point of extending, not just

:50:00. > :50:02.a duty to refer, but the duty to cooperate, because of someone as

:50:03. > :50:06.homeless, after may have mental health problems or are faced with

:50:07. > :50:10.domestic abuse or other isstes which are related to their homelessness.

:50:11. > :50:14.It may be unemployment benefits problems. If we can get the joined

:50:15. > :50:19.up approach, which the commhttee recommended, then that would be an

:50:20. > :50:24.improvement as well, all public authorities working together.

:50:25. > :50:27.Finally, on to the code of practice. Absolutely crucial that we get this

:50:28. > :50:30.in place. I would like to hdar from the minister whether that code of

:50:31. > :50:33.practice is going to be avahlable for ministers to look at before we

:50:34. > :50:38.get to the end of considering this legislation? The government has

:50:39. > :50:42.codes of guidance at the molent and unfortunately, they don't all was

:50:43. > :50:46.work. The classic example is, recently, it is written in the

:50:47. > :50:49.guidance that if a local authority does an out of area placement of a

:50:50. > :50:52.homeless family, they are stpposed to tell the receiving authority that

:50:53. > :50:56.that family is coming to thdm, because they may have other needs

:50:57. > :51:01.that need addressing. In many cases, that simply does not happen, despite

:51:02. > :51:04.the guidance saying it should. So current practice would strengthen

:51:05. > :51:06.the guidance in a way authorities should follow, and we want to hear

:51:07. > :51:09.from the minister that they will then put in the monitoring

:51:10. > :51:11.arrangements to make sure that all the measures in this bill are

:51:12. > :51:18.actually delivered in practhce to make -- to people who are homeless

:51:19. > :51:21.or threatened with homelessness This bill will not remove

:51:22. > :51:24.homelessness at the end of the day, and the honourable member h`s

:51:25. > :51:28.accepted that. What we hope it will do, and we hope it will do so, being

:51:29. > :51:32.such a cross-party effort to get this right, from the honour`ble

:51:33. > :51:35.member and the wide group of organisations, and the select

:51:36. > :51:38.committee, we hope it will hmprove the situation for those who are

:51:39. > :51:42.homeless or threatened with homelessness in a very meanhngful

:51:43. > :51:47.way. Order. No fewer than 29th of the

:51:48. > :51:54.backbench members are seeking to contribute to the debate, mdaning

:51:55. > :51:58.there is a premium up on economy. It is a pleasure to follow the

:51:59. > :52:01.chairman of my select committee Can I stop by congratulating my

:52:02. > :52:07.honourable friend, the membdr for Harrow East, not just by tackling

:52:08. > :52:11.such a thorny issue, but thd way he has approached developing

:52:12. > :52:15.legislation? The fact he has taken an open and collaborative approach

:52:16. > :52:19.means the bill we face todax have proposals that are workable, have

:52:20. > :52:22.been tested in committee, and have cross-party support. I think he

:52:23. > :52:26.deserves our congratulations for that. It is why I am delighted to be

:52:27. > :52:29.able to co-sponsor this bill as a member of the select committee, but

:52:30. > :52:36.also, frankly, as a former housing minister. In the year that H have

:52:37. > :52:39.the housing list, I took thd opportunity at Christmas 2002 to

:52:40. > :52:43.learn more about this by working as a volunteer for Crisis in one of

:52:44. > :52:48.their shelters. It is an eyd-opener, I can tell all members. When you

:52:49. > :52:51.were there as an individual, listening and in gauging and doing

:52:52. > :52:56.what ministers rarely have the time to do, which is to actually work

:52:57. > :53:01.with individuals, it really changes your views and your aims. I would

:53:02. > :53:05.like to but on record my support to John Sparks and his team Crhsis and

:53:06. > :53:11.all the volunteers for what they do, and also, if I may say, the way

:53:12. > :53:14.Crisis has handled this bill, openly and collaboratively, means they are

:53:15. > :53:19.taking a just cause and turning it into good law, and I think ` lot of

:53:20. > :53:25.pressure could learn from that. Let me counter if you are the issues,

:53:26. > :53:28.where there are others wanthng to speak. Firstly, we have rightly

:53:29. > :53:32.heard that homelessness is complex, in the guise as it forms, whether it

:53:33. > :53:39.is the fact that people are sleeping rough on the street or in shelters,

:53:40. > :53:43.or indeed, living in a housd that is so uncertain. That is immensely

:53:44. > :53:46.complicated in terms of how I can be measured. I don't think the way the

:53:47. > :53:50.current snapshot statistics are is sufficient. They don't give as a

:53:51. > :53:53.clear picture. One of the ottcomes from the select committee w`s to

:53:54. > :53:58.encourage the government to look at extending what are called the chain

:53:59. > :54:04.database statistics, which H year-round, to roll-out. I hope in

:54:05. > :54:09.his response, the minister can respond to that particular point,

:54:10. > :54:13.because if we get a better `ll-round view of the year, we will ddal with

:54:14. > :54:17.the causes more effectively. I think what is very clear is, whilst it is

:54:18. > :54:20.self evident the problems in the increase in turnover in ten`ncies

:54:21. > :54:26.being a factor, it is not the only factor. For many people, thd reason

:54:27. > :54:30.they find themselves on the street is often less to do with hotsing and

:54:31. > :54:35.more to do with other underlying problems. For some people, `ctually,

:54:36. > :54:41.the homelessness is a symptom of those problems, and that is why

:54:42. > :54:46.very often, we see as consthtuency members, member health care issues,

:54:47. > :54:49.addiction issues, family brdakdowns, challenges around debt. These are

:54:50. > :54:55.very often causes as part of the reason why somebody has become

:54:56. > :54:58.homeless. Of course, people can very often deal with one of thosd

:54:59. > :55:02.problems, but when they coalesce, that is the moment when verx often,

:55:03. > :55:10.their lives collapse and thdy turn up at the local authority. So we are

:55:11. > :55:14.going to tackle homelessness, we must understand the causes, and that

:55:15. > :55:18.is why I am so pleased to sde, 0 years on from the 1996 act of this

:55:19. > :55:22.Elche its policy in the Lords of prevention. Members have already

:55:23. > :55:27.said how the danger is that the action only occurs once people are

:55:28. > :55:33.facing a crisis. The point `bout clauses one, two and four is that

:55:34. > :55:36.they will enable authorities to intervene in a way that helps

:55:37. > :55:42.prevent homelessness in the first place. And that is important. Change

:55:43. > :55:46.the law, and the policy and will follow. I think the difficulty has

:55:47. > :55:50.been that until now, we havd tended to focus on dealing with thd issue

:55:51. > :55:53.once it has become self-evident and it has therefore become mord

:55:54. > :55:57.expensive and difficult Allsop perhaps more importantly, if we only

:55:58. > :56:01.deal with the once people fhnd themselves served out of thdir home,

:56:02. > :56:06.it is far more traumatic for them, specially when there are chhldren

:56:07. > :56:11.involved. My second point on the bill is really related to something

:56:12. > :56:14.the honourable member for Sheffield South East touched on, which is how

:56:15. > :56:18.we raised the standards of support and advice across local govdrnment.

:56:19. > :56:23.I think many local authorithes do a fantastic job, and I want to convey

:56:24. > :56:29.my aberration to many of thd housing offices in my own districts, and

:56:30. > :56:32.many others I have met. -- ly admiration. They do a rewarding and

:56:33. > :56:39.difficult job, and I franklx people who are having to deal with family

:56:40. > :56:42.crises on a daily basis. Wh`t the select committee learned in its

:56:43. > :56:46.enquiry is the huge variation between councils in the advhce and

:56:47. > :56:50.support they provide, and not just as we might suspect, councils in

:56:51. > :56:53.different parts of the country, with different problems, but acttally,

:56:54. > :56:58.neighbouring authorities will almost identical social issues. To use the

:56:59. > :56:59.sort of catchphrase about this, it is a postcode lottery for those in

:57:00. > :57:07.need. One thing I tried to do was promote

:57:08. > :57:14.best standards of practice `nd to use those to lever up the rdst. It

:57:15. > :57:18.had some good effects. We s`w some important improvements, but three

:57:19. > :57:25.years on I have to say I recognise it is not enough. That is why I have

:57:26. > :57:31.come as a reluctant supportdr of bill. I back this now. I didn't

:57:32. > :57:36.initially. I do so, because if drafted clearly, if focussed on

:57:37. > :57:40.outcomes, such codes and I note that is they are plural in the bhll,

:57:41. > :57:46.those codes could be targetdd in order to raise the standards of

:57:47. > :57:53.service in the weakest authorities. I accept that the LGA and lores have

:57:54. > :57:57.said we need to be careful `bout this. Of course. We need to be

:57:58. > :58:03.careful and the codes should be matched by a continuing effort from

:58:04. > :58:08.government to reward best practice. Lastly, given the time, let me turn

:58:09. > :58:14.to clause 2 and the broadenhng of the duty to provide advice `nd

:58:15. > :58:19.information. I think all of us as constituency members will rdcognise

:58:20. > :58:23.the different categories th`t come before us locally frankly of people

:58:24. > :58:27.who don't meet the standards and are not regarded as priority cases. I'm

:58:28. > :58:32.pleased partly following a very important session we had a

:58:33. > :58:36.committee, meeting with the young care leavers that that group are

:58:37. > :58:41.included in the bill. We met with these young people and they were

:58:42. > :58:47.very candid about the systel which frankly currently ignores them once

:58:48. > :58:53.they reach adulthood and whdn you talk to them, they're initi`lly

:58:54. > :58:57.cautious, but the result of that conversation flagged up that many

:58:58. > :59:03.are sleeping rough. Some ard sofa surfing, but some are turning to

:59:04. > :59:07.drugs and some to prostituthon. It is important that that group is

:59:08. > :59:14.specifically included and the fact that it is included and the councils

:59:15. > :59:19.are required to reck nice them as vulnerable is important. I think the

:59:20. > :59:25.bill offers a great opportunity to reduce but not remove homeldss. But

:59:26. > :59:29.it is an important opportunhty to focus on prevention, it is `n

:59:30. > :59:33.opportunity to raise the st`ndards of advice and support across the

:59:34. > :59:41.country and it is an opporttnity to ensure that more people get help

:59:42. > :59:47.sooner. In that sense, I thhnk the bill offers hope. I will offer one

:59:48. > :59:50.rider. I have to say to the minister that we can only hope for that

:59:51. > :59:54.progress if the Government plays its part. It is fantastic that the

:59:55. > :59:59.ministers have stepped up to the plate and are backing the bhll. But

:00:00. > :00:04.I think it will be the case there will be the need when required for

:00:05. > :00:08.additional funding for many councils to fulfil that commitment. @nd I

:00:09. > :00:12.trust from his positive bodx language we are going to gets a

:00:13. > :00:16.useful response from him, as I am sure we would expect. So today I

:00:17. > :00:22.think it is a chance for thhs House and the Government to send ` message

:00:23. > :00:33.of hope to those without shdlter. Let us seize this chance and back

:00:34. > :00:38.the bill. Can I say it is a pleasure to follow the honourable melber he

:00:39. > :00:41.has spoken with a combination of policy expertise and experidnce and

:00:42. > :00:46.male a telling point towards the ends about the priority that this

:00:47. > :00:51.bill is able to give to those young people leaving care. Can I

:00:52. > :00:57.congratulate the member for Harrow East on the Bill and the wax he has

:00:58. > :01:02.gone about securing it. He has got a sponsor, all the members of his

:01:03. > :01:08.community and local governmdnt select committee, including the

:01:09. > :01:14.member for Sheffield South Dast and the member for Dulwich and the

:01:15. > :01:23.member for Leicester West. Together, they have done the first evdr

:01:24. > :01:26.pre-legislative scrutiny report of a private member's bill and it is

:01:27. > :01:30.important that this bill has made some significant amendments in light

:01:31. > :01:33.of that select committee report So I congratulate him both on his bill

:01:34. > :01:37.and the way he is going abott securing this. This Bill is well

:01:38. > :01:47.backed and it has been well briefed by some of the campaign charities

:01:48. > :01:54.and Shelter, St Mungo's and by Crisis. I'm glad we got on Londay

:01:55. > :02:00.confirmation from the Secretary of State that the government whll back

:02:01. > :02:06.this bill. That is a tributd to the member for Nuneaton, becausd I know

:02:07. > :02:11.very well how much work is required behind the scenes to get all parts

:02:12. > :02:16.of government, not least thd treasury, lined up to support a

:02:17. > :02:21.private member's bill. Thosd who seen him at meetings, receptions and

:02:22. > :02:25.debates know how hard he has been working to secure that. Frol our

:02:26. > :02:35.Labour front bench, I welcole this bill. I back this bill. And I back

:02:36. > :02:42.its cross party purposes to see more help, earlier, for those people who

:02:43. > :02:47.are threatened with homeless and a reduction to those who are then hit

:02:48. > :02:55.with the misery of homelessness as well. I also welcome this bhll

:02:56. > :03:01.because it builds on directly similar legislation that has been

:03:02. > :03:04.brought in in Wales by the Labour-led government in 2004.

:03:05. > :03:09.Although importantly of course that was part of a ten-year strategy to

:03:10. > :03:16.tackle homeless, not simply an isolated piece of legislation and...

:03:17. > :03:20.I will give way of course. Has he seen the comment from the housing

:03:21. > :03:26.management officer of Newport council who said that for every

:03:27. > :03:34.pound they spent on homeless policy they save ?4, because of thd bill

:03:35. > :03:40.introduced by the Welsh govdrnment? I have not seen the comments, but

:03:41. > :03:46.the point he makes is one I hope means that fallen victim government

:03:47. > :03:51.ministers will recognise thd extra Coppses will be a -- costs will be a

:03:52. > :03:55.good investment for preventhng homeless and longer term costs. But

:03:56. > :04:04.it is early days, but in thd first year I have to say the experience in

:04:05. > :04:10.Wales is encouraging. Because in 65% of the cases, homelessness has been

:04:11. > :04:16.successfully prevented when those households have been at risk and

:04:17. > :04:22.helped by councils. And that means there are nearly 5,000 people and

:04:23. > :04:27.families in Wales today that last year could have been homeless, but

:04:28. > :04:32.weren't made homeless, becatse of intervention and the help is council

:04:33. > :04:46.offered. So this is a good bill but it is only a first step. If we are

:04:47. > :04:53.to reverse what is a rapidlx rising level of homelessness, this is not a

:04:54. > :04:59.silver bullet, because you can't legislate and claim to be t`ckling

:05:00. > :05:07.hmss and legislate and lay off blame to councils. If he does want to

:05:08. > :05:11.reverse 40 years of rationing and reverse the rationing of help that

:05:12. > :05:17.councils can offer, you can't simply do that I by redesigning thd system

:05:18. > :05:21.when councils every day are struggling with an ever-increasing

:05:22. > :05:25.workload and facing an ever-decreasing range of hotsing

:05:26. > :05:29.options. So to ministers, if the government is serious about this

:05:30. > :05:35.Bill, and if ministers mean what they say about homeless, thdn they

:05:36. > :05:43.must do two things. Fund thd costs of the extra duties in this bill in

:05:44. > :05:48.full. And tackle the causes of the growing homelessness crisis. Those

:05:49. > :05:53.will be the two tests that we on this side will hold the govdrnment

:05:54. > :05:59.hard to account. Will my honourable friend give way? Yes. I welcome the

:06:00. > :06:04.practical measures in this bill but I heed his comments about the need

:06:05. > :06:07.too accompany changes with with a real effort to build more homes It

:06:08. > :06:12.is not just a test for government, it is a test for all of us. You come

:06:13. > :06:15.to questions here and MPs are getting up opposing new

:06:16. > :06:19.developments, although it is nothing to do with the House of Comlons we

:06:20. > :06:23.have got to have the couragd to tell our constudents this countrx -

:06:24. > :06:27.constituents this country does not build enough houses. We havd to tell

:06:28. > :06:33.them this country must build more homes. Yes, I hope the cross party

:06:34. > :06:39.spirit in which we tackle this may lead to more of a cross party spirit

:06:40. > :06:44.to tackle some of the bigger housing challenges that we face. But I want

:06:45. > :06:52.to come to these tests. First, fund the Coppses. C costs. -- thd costs.

:06:53. > :06:58.The minister said he hoped to have a cost for this before the second

:06:59. > :07:03.reading. But he has not. But he has confirmed, the Government whll fund

:07:04. > :07:07.any additional costs in lind with the long-standing new burdens

:07:08. > :07:13.arrangements. So si say to him, this work to assess and to agree the

:07:14. > :07:17.extra costs of the extra duties or the new burdens in this bill on

:07:18. > :07:22.councils must be done urgently and done openly. I can't be dond in some

:07:23. > :07:27.back room deal between the Treasury and his department. Because local

:07:28. > :07:31.government must have confiddnce in and involvement in that process

:07:32. > :07:35.That is the first commitment we are looking to the minister to give the

:07:36. > :07:41.house today. Beyond this, councils rightly want to know that any

:07:42. > :07:45.additional funding of addithonal costs will really be additional and

:07:46. > :07:49.not taken off some other part of funding that is due to local

:07:50. > :07:54.government. So we look for that commitment also from the minister

:07:55. > :08:00.today. First, fund the cost, second, tact it will causes. -- tackle the

:08:01. > :08:05.causes. Homelessness is not inevitable. It is not necessary in a

:08:06. > :08:11.country as well off and decdnt as ours for people to have no home I

:08:12. > :08:16.have to say that cutting all types of homelessness was one of the

:08:17. > :08:22.proudest achievement that otr last Labour government secured. Ht led at

:08:23. > :08:28.the time to the independent homelessness monitor that Crisis and

:08:29. > :08:35.the Joseph Rowntree fundation produced to see a unprecedented

:08:36. > :08:41.decline in statutory homelessness and as the member said,

:08:42. > :08:45.homelessness, rough sleeping, feel by three quarters during our period

:08:46. > :08:55.in government. I regret that since 2010 we have seen that trend go into

:08:56. > :09:01.reverse. Rough sleeping has doubled. Statutory homelessness is up by

:09:02. > :09:14.half. 115,000 children each night are sleeping in temporary

:09:15. > :09:23.accommodation. These are yotng lives blighted by transyens. They are

:09:24. > :09:28.often in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation and sharing bddrooms

:09:29. > :09:31.and bathrooms. These are thd children that can't go home. These

:09:32. > :09:36.are the children with no hole in our country today. This is a sc`ndal

:09:37. > :09:42.which shames us all. But I have to say gently to the Housing Mhnister,

:09:43. > :09:46.as gently as I can today, in part many of the housing policy

:09:47. > :09:52.decisions, the housing policy failures we have seen in thd last

:09:53. > :09:57.six years have led directly to this homelessness crisis. 13 sep`rate

:09:58. > :10:02.cuts to housing benefit, including bedroom tax and of course breaking

:10:03. > :10:08.the link between housing benefit, or local authority housing allowance

:10:09. > :10:11.and the rise in private rents. 5% cut in the last Parliament to

:10:12. > :10:18.Labour's supporting people programme. Which provides vhtal

:10:19. > :10:23.funding to homelessness services and soaring is private represents. On

:10:24. > :10:32.average now the rent now colpared to 2010 in the private sector hs over

:10:33. > :10:36.?2,000 a year more. Finally, councils can't help the homdless if

:10:37. > :10:41.government won't build the home or let councils build the homes that

:10:42. > :10:46.are needed. It is why I say to the minister the number of new social

:10:47. > :10:54.rented homes started in Labour's last year in government was 40, 00.

:10:55. > :11:01.And the number started last year was just 1,000. Can he give way? I will

:11:02. > :11:09.of course. I am grateful to him for giving way. I wonder if he `gree if

:11:10. > :11:13.we talk about people losing home, but people are often forced out of

:11:14. > :11:19.them by Government policy and we need a joined up strategy as he is

:11:20. > :11:26.describing. We do indeed and the increasing trend is that people face

:11:27. > :11:32.the threat of homeless and `re being made homeless by break downs in

:11:33. > :11:34.break downs in private rentdd contracts and the relationships

:11:35. > :11:39.often one of eviction by thd landlords. So we have got to tackle

:11:40. > :11:43.the causes of homelessness, build more affordable housing, act on the

:11:44. > :11:47.the rising costs and short-term lets for tenants and reverse the crude

:11:48. > :11:54.cuts in housing benefit that are hitting some of the most vulnerable

:11:55. > :11:59.people and finally in today's cross party spirit, can I direct the

:12:00. > :12:05.minister's attention to two planned changes that he simply must stop.

:12:06. > :12:10.And say to him also if he does, he will find almost as much support for

:12:11. > :12:17.doing so among Conservative councils and colleagues as he will on this

:12:18. > :12:21.side of the house. Both are part of toxic legacy for housing left by the

:12:22. > :12:31.last Chancellor. So perhaps there is plenty of scope for common ground.

:12:32. > :12:39.And going to force them to sell off the better council houses every time

:12:40. > :12:47.they become vacant? So, drop that plan from the housing and planning

:12:48. > :12:54.act. Second, how can councils how the homeless is homeless hostels

:12:55. > :12:59.face closure because the new housing benefit or housing allowancd falls

:13:00. > :13:03.so short of the housing costs? So again, exempt supported housing

:13:04. > :13:07.fully in the changes to housing benefit. And finally, to thd

:13:08. > :13:13.honourable member for Harrow East and his cross-party sponsors, during

:13:14. > :13:16.the further detailed discussions and debates that you will have with

:13:17. > :13:25.government, we wish you well in securing this bill. We wish you well

:13:26. > :13:28.in securing action to fund the costs and tackle the causes of thhs

:13:29. > :13:32.homelessness crisis in our country, and to the extent that you do that,

:13:33. > :13:37.you will have from this sidd our full support.

:13:38. > :13:41.Can I just be helpful? Therd are a of people and I want to get

:13:42. > :13:46.everybody in. If brevity cotld be the order of the day, it will ensure

:13:47. > :13:49.that the bill can be tested and hopefully, everyone can unite at

:13:50. > :13:53.that stage. I am worried we will talk it out if we're not careful.

:13:54. > :13:57.Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak. Like m`ny

:13:58. > :14:01.colleagues here today, I am pleased the government has its support

:14:02. > :14:05.behind this much-needed bill. I know my honourable friend for Harrow East

:14:06. > :14:11.has worked tremendously hard to get where we are today, and I know he

:14:12. > :14:15.has received great support from Crisis and Saint Mungo's. It is a

:14:16. > :14:21.credit to the builder so much expertise has formed its buhlding

:14:22. > :14:26.blocks, and it fully deservds the attention has today. -- it hs a

:14:27. > :14:29.credit to the bill. It is a tragedy when people become homeless, and it

:14:30. > :14:34.is a tragedy that homeless has doubled between 2010 and 2005. And

:14:35. > :14:36.this misery is plain to see across many have our high streets `nd

:14:37. > :14:42.neighbourhoods. Kent is no different. The number of rotgh

:14:43. > :14:47.sleepers has doubled, yet most disturbingly, the number of homeless

:14:48. > :14:56.aged 25 and under has tripldd since only 2014. This indeed is the case

:14:57. > :15:00.in my local community. My local authority, Medway council, have

:15:01. > :15:05.compiled surveys detailing rough sleepers within the local atthority

:15:06. > :15:09.area. However, as I imagined, it is the case across much of the country,

:15:10. > :15:16.and it is conceded that the true figure in Medway could be mtch

:15:17. > :15:19.higher than what is recorded. Those unfortunate people go through

:15:20. > :15:24.experiences many of us cannot imagine in our worst nightm`res

:15:25. > :15:29.sometimes even under the radar. In Medway, we had a tragic acchdent

:15:30. > :15:34.with the death of a 28-year,old Samson Payne, who was homeldss in

:15:35. > :15:38.Chatham town centre. Samsung's partner, with whom he shared a life

:15:39. > :15:43.on the street, spoke emotionally about their struggles and how

:15:44. > :15:49.eventually, they acquired a tent in which they could get some ddcent

:15:50. > :15:52.sleep. -- Samson's partner. While some help has been offered tnder the

:15:53. > :15:57.current legislation, there was suddenly little Medway could do We

:15:58. > :16:02.do have a strong local network of organisations in place to hdlp the

:16:03. > :16:08.homeless, and council does offer good advice. But there should always

:16:09. > :16:11.be more we can do when we h`ve vulnerable individuals forcdd to

:16:12. > :16:15.live on our streets. In Rochester and Strood, I feel we are blessed to

:16:16. > :16:24.have some of the hardest working charity groups helping the homeless

:16:25. > :16:26.to get back on their feet. One search provides a supported

:16:27. > :16:33.community that the homeless, allowing them to regain thehr

:16:34. > :16:37.dignity and humanity. Those who are homeless can stay as long as they

:16:38. > :16:44.like within the caring principles and spirit of the community. This

:16:45. > :16:47.summer, they celebrated thehr 2 th anniversary in Rochester, whth a day

:16:48. > :16:53.of bargains galore, with thd generous proceeds from my community

:16:54. > :16:58.going straight to their movdment. We so hard Caring Hands, offerhng a

:16:59. > :17:01.Christian response to the problems facing the marginalised in our

:17:02. > :17:07.society, including the homeless and a big focus for them as children, or

:17:08. > :17:10.young people, who have come out of care, and also people with

:17:11. > :17:17.addictions, with mental health, and also with some ex-offenders that are

:17:18. > :17:27.present and find themselves looking for help in Medway. Each wedk, they

:17:28. > :17:29.provide meals, snacks, showdrs, laundry, in exchange for thdir

:17:30. > :17:36.regular visitors, and they offer that support, and they have, Caring

:17:37. > :17:42.Hands, lots of support withhn our local community and are supported by

:17:43. > :17:47.lots of local businesses. This worked with in my constituency is

:17:48. > :17:50.inspiring and widely supported throughout the area. However, Mr

:17:51. > :17:56.Deputy Speaker, prevention hs of course better than cure. Grdater

:17:57. > :18:00.focus on preventing homelessness should over time reduce the number

:18:01. > :18:08.of people who lose their holes and require more intensive support or

:18:09. > :18:11.accommodation. I know it is important for councils to sde

:18:12. > :18:15.homelessness ended, and in Ledway, we would much rather have it

:18:16. > :18:19.prevented in the first placd. However, it is sad that we hear of

:18:20. > :18:21.many examples where a local authority can only give asshstance

:18:22. > :18:25.once a person has already slept rough. There needs to be a

:18:26. > :18:31.strengthening of the system at hand to ensure these difficult choices

:18:32. > :18:35.are reduced. In the end, we need to move towards services having the

:18:36. > :18:41.real ability to offer meaningful, personalised support, whereby

:18:42. > :18:43.struggling households and individuals are assisted to identify

:18:44. > :18:49.solutions to prevent homelessness quickly. I am pleased that this bill

:18:50. > :18:53.is setting out to address the prevention issue. Regardless of a

:18:54. > :18:57.person's priority needs, st`tus or local connection, no one should be

:18:58. > :19:02.forced to the streets where measures are still available. A single woman

:19:03. > :19:06.living on the streets should not be there, as much as a young f`mily

:19:07. > :19:10.should not be, and with the appropriate backing, it is right

:19:11. > :19:12.that our local government sdes the need and duty to prevent falilies or

:19:13. > :19:19.individuals being forced to live on our streets. I am hopeful that our

:19:20. > :19:22.local authorities will be ghven the necessary funds to ensure this

:19:23. > :19:28.legislation works, and we achieve the results everybody wishes for.

:19:29. > :19:39.But of course, it should also be the case of, you need me to help... You

:19:40. > :19:42.need to help me for me to hdlp you. It is crucial for this legislation

:19:43. > :19:45.that households take their own steps and initiatives to resolve

:19:46. > :19:49.homelessness. At the end of the day, it will be on most people's

:19:50. > :19:52.interests to get themselves off the streets and back into a homd that

:19:53. > :19:59.offers warmth, shelter and ` place very family can flourish. The

:20:00. > :20:03.incentives are there, and the cultural barriers within hotseholds

:20:04. > :20:08.stopping them from seeking help must come down too. Mr Deputy Spdaker, we

:20:09. > :20:13.are all aware of the introdtction of similar legislation in Scotland and

:20:14. > :20:15.Wales. It is impressive to see the scheme in Wales already providing

:20:16. > :20:22.positive results in just its first year. 65% of households applying for

:20:23. > :20:25.prevention assistance had a successful outcome, and I al hopeful

:20:26. > :20:29.that this statistic will rise at the end of its second year and beyond.

:20:30. > :20:34.Through this legislation, wd get to the stage where we are sharhng best

:20:35. > :20:41.practices both locally and nationally, and across all regions

:20:42. > :20:44.of the United Kingdom. To conclude, I believe that in a civilisdd

:20:45. > :20:49.society, it is unacceptable that people should be faced with the fear

:20:50. > :20:54.of homelessness. It is more vitally important to help the most

:20:55. > :21:00.vulnerable in society to get their lives back on track before ht is too

:21:01. > :21:05.late or the damage is done. This is an important bill that refldct a

:21:06. > :21:09.compassionate society we all hold dear, and I commend my honotrable

:21:10. > :21:11.friend from bringing in full with today, and fully support hil in his

:21:12. > :21:18.endeavour. It is a pleasure to follow the

:21:19. > :21:28.honourable lady, particularly in her comments about what are in ly view,

:21:29. > :21:32.the most impressive group working and producing practical restlts I

:21:33. > :21:36.had the experience of visithng them, and uniquely, they insisted that

:21:37. > :21:39.visiting MPs to wash their dishes after the modest meal we had, but it

:21:40. > :21:43.was a symbol of the democratic nature of them will stop we, as MPs,

:21:44. > :21:47.were on the same level as the homeless level there were pdople in

:21:48. > :21:52.the house. It is a splendid institution. To the honourable

:21:53. > :21:55.gentleman, he deserves our full congratulation on this bill, and can

:21:56. > :21:59.I urge everyone else to follow his advice to keep it simple and not to

:22:00. > :22:02.adorn it with amendments? I was having experience of going through

:22:03. > :22:09.on the third reading of a bdll I have, and the late Alan Clark, and

:22:10. > :22:13.the late Eric Ford made spedches in support of it, and then I rdalised,

:22:14. > :22:15.to my horror, than either of them actually understood the bill, the

:22:16. > :22:21.only way of getting it throtgh was to make a 13 second third rdading

:22:22. > :22:25.speech in case they understood the details and sabotaged the bhll. So

:22:26. > :22:30.specificity is a way of getting things through in this housd. The

:22:31. > :22:36.Welsh government, to their credit, have put this measure forward, and

:22:37. > :22:39.again, it is the best of legislation, because it is not

:22:40. > :22:45.overambitious. It does not `ttempt to change too much, and as we know,

:22:46. > :22:50.the problems of mental health are to do with -- the problems of

:22:51. > :22:53.homelessness are often to do with homelessness, mental health, and

:22:54. > :22:56.drug addiction, and there is not any simple solution. But they brought

:22:57. > :23:00.the bill in modestly, and it has been very successful. Can I commend

:23:01. > :23:05.another measure they took on consent for organ donations, having had a

:23:06. > :23:09.constituent visit me about three years ago, waiting for a he`rt

:23:10. > :23:13.transplant, a 19-year-old boy, and then, because there was a shortage

:23:14. > :23:19.of donors, six months later, I attended his funeral. We should

:23:20. > :23:25.again look at what is happening on Wales with presumed consent, and

:23:26. > :23:30.follow that example as well. -- happening in Wales. About this bill,

:23:31. > :23:34.I have got my speech here, which I shall not burden you with, but to

:23:35. > :23:39.say one word to my friends on this site, I think a simplistic solution

:23:40. > :23:43.to this is to say that the Labour Party should end the sale of council

:23:44. > :23:47.houses, and it is a very controversial issue, but can I

:23:48. > :23:55.commend the work of the latd David Taylor, who was a council and

:23:56. > :23:58.Leicestershire council -- on Leicestershire council. He was a

:23:59. > :24:03.real model. You should read his book and find out.

:24:04. > :24:11.Well, don't bother buying it, come and see me! It is rather expensive.

:24:12. > :24:17.I mean, those who remember David, and the sad circumstances of his

:24:18. > :24:20.death, he was killed, I belheve by press criticism, which destroyed

:24:21. > :24:25.him, because he was a great Christian gentleman, who was

:24:26. > :24:31.undermined by an attack on him. He drops dead a fortnight later. But

:24:32. > :24:35.one thing I should mention, he was on the council, before he bdcame an

:24:36. > :24:41.MP, and he and the council did the same thing. Long before Thatcher

:24:42. > :24:44.sold council houses, we dechded for good socialist reasons, to sell

:24:45. > :24:49.council houses, because it hs not property that is that in today's's

:24:50. > :24:53.housing world, it is rate that is theft, and we could not continue in

:24:54. > :25:00.good conscience in giving the people who support us so well, the council

:25:01. > :25:07.house tenants, to deny them the chance of acquiring and appreciating

:25:08. > :25:11.asset. So I say, we must not take that road. There are other ways of

:25:12. > :25:17.tackling the problem, but yds, this bill is a fine bill, and it is

:25:18. > :25:20.wonderful to see a progresshve, highly intelligent and practical

:25:21. > :25:27.politician following the ex`mple of socialists in Wales.

:25:28. > :25:33.It is a pleasure to follow the honourable member. I will s`y,

:25:34. > :25:39.obviously, everyone has paid great tributes for this bill and H am

:25:40. > :25:43.proud to be a cross-party sponsor of this bill. Several weeks ago, our

:25:44. > :25:47.Prime Minister took to the stated party conference to deliver her for

:25:48. > :25:50.Britain, a country where, for every single person, regardless of

:25:51. > :25:53.background or that of their parents, has a chance to be all they want to

:25:54. > :26:00.be, where government stands up for the week and to the strong. So you

:26:01. > :26:04.might forgive Henry for his scepticism. At the age of 22, Henry

:26:05. > :26:10.found himself on the streets after suffering a physical abuse, after

:26:11. > :26:13.being thrown out of his homd by his father who refused to accept he was

:26:14. > :26:19.gay. Vulnerable and in despdrate need of help, Henry turned to his

:26:20. > :26:21.local London Borough, repeatedly waiting for hours and packed

:26:22. > :26:25.reception is only to be repdatedly told that there was nothing that

:26:26. > :26:29.could be done. That he was not a priority. And certainly not a

:26:30. > :26:35.statutory priority. So effectively, in his mind, you did not matter For

:26:36. > :26:41.those like Henry, it is for those we stand up for today, for the weak,

:26:42. > :26:46.and ensuring that at the very least, we have a statute, a duty to prevent

:26:47. > :26:50.those like Henry of going through the cycle of despair without a home.

:26:51. > :26:55.There have been many good speech is already today, no doubt somd to come

:26:56. > :26:59.that will increasingly be gdtting towards the time that is nedded to

:27:00. > :27:02.see this bill safely on its passage, but they will not necessarily bridge

:27:03. > :27:08.the gap in credibility that many like Henry would see as thex gaze

:27:09. > :27:13.across at this fine building, and many across the Thames, those facing

:27:14. > :27:20.another night on the streets. It is, as I said, a scandal that wd too

:27:21. > :27:24.readily have tolerated that in 016, this country is facing an increasing

:27:25. > :27:28.number of those people who dnd up homeless. What is also the case is

:27:29. > :27:31.that it is a preventable sc`ndal, and today we can do something about

:27:32. > :27:34.it by supporting this bill. The point of this bill is to ensure that

:27:35. > :27:37.the causes of homelessness `re tackled as much as possible before

:27:38. > :27:42.the crisis of being without a home is reached.

:27:43. > :27:48.It means empowering councils and other agencies. Sadly in thd front

:27:49. > :27:53.seat is family relationship break down which for six out of tdn young

:27:54. > :27:58.people are centre point report this week highlights. Six out of ten

:27:59. > :28:04.young people a family relathonship break down will be the main cause of

:28:05. > :28:08.homeless. This bill will provide that duty of prevention. Thd burden

:28:09. > :28:16.will fall on local authorithes, but the responsibility is a shared one,

:28:17. > :28:19.particularly coming to the costs of youth homelessness is hit bx central

:28:20. > :28:23.government budgets. That is why I welcome the Government support. The

:28:24. > :28:29.government are picking up already the costs and need to be involved in

:28:30. > :28:33.investing in the prevention. Centre point's report highlights the main

:28:34. > :28:39.cost of youth homelessness `lone, taking account of on the of costs of

:28:40. > :28:48.offending or poor mental he`lth or lack of training and domesthc

:28:49. > :28:56.violence, if one slices off the cost of being homeless it falls on the

:28:57. > :29:02.welfare budget. For a young person that is ?9,000 a year. That is 560

:29:03. > :29:05.million a year just in terms of homelessness costs. The Govdrnment's

:29:06. > :29:11.?40 million announcement is welcome, but it does put it into context of

:29:12. > :29:16.what is needed to be able to shift the focus on prevention and makes so

:29:17. > :29:21.much sense both in value for money and in the social benefits. The

:29:22. > :29:26.issue of homelessness is colplex, it is complex because it is involving a

:29:27. > :29:31.predominantly individuals whth multiple and complex needs, those as

:29:32. > :29:37.we will know from the work of St Mungo's, in supported accomlodation,

:29:38. > :29:43.they have accommodation of 0,03 people who have slept rough. Three

:29:44. > :29:47.quarters have mental problel. 6 % have drug or alcohol problels. We

:29:48. > :29:51.therefore need to deal with things in the round and make sure that all

:29:52. > :29:57.agencies of Government, centrally as well as locally, are focussdd on

:29:58. > :30:06.seeking to prevent homelessness The reality is that the expectation the

:30:07. > :30:10.life expectation for someond who is homeless is somebody of my `ge would

:30:11. > :30:17.no longer live. At 47 that would be it. That is appalling for us to

:30:18. > :30:22.comprehend and we must be able to shift that. As has been said by the

:30:23. > :30:31.member for Sheffield, I will just carry on so others carry on. There

:30:32. > :30:36.are good examples of good practice. In many area there are thosd working

:30:37. > :30:40.hard. But there are too manx examples of bad practice in local

:30:41. > :30:48.authorities. My constituencx have had examples of shoddy practice that

:30:49. > :30:53.dehumanise people as they sdek help. This bill seek to ensure thdre is a

:30:54. > :30:58.level playing field for those who don't see that who are homeless We

:30:59. > :31:04.need to ensure st good practices that is there, that has been

:31:05. > :31:07.highlighted of mediation and multifamily approaches and that

:31:08. > :31:15.needs to spread throughout our land. And make sure it has an imp`ct on

:31:16. > :31:19.the most vulnerable. But for a London area like mine, all too

:31:20. > :31:27.frequently I have scene thex can be in denial about the real nulbers of

:31:28. > :31:40.homeless, hidden homeless and real homeless and they can aquay yes to

:31:41. > :31:45.seeing those at risk gravit`te to central London hostels and the

:31:46. > :31:48.scheme of no second night ott and they can effectively sit on their

:31:49. > :31:54.hands while others pick up the bill. This will help to change th`t to

:31:55. > :32:01.ensure there is co-operation and duty of prevention. I will need to

:32:02. > :32:09.make... Progress. We need to do what we can. I am disappointed btt not

:32:10. > :32:14.surprised that my area, Enfheld and other London councils in thd North

:32:15. > :32:18.London partnership have sent around a criticism of this bill saxing is

:32:19. > :32:24.it is unworkable in London `nd will increase homeless. I think hs that

:32:25. > :32:29.huge shame. They say it will detract from the the homelessness prevention

:32:30. > :32:34.that takes play. I think thdy're are denial aye disagree. They nded the

:32:35. > :32:39.funds and support and we nedd to support those who don't havd family

:32:40. > :32:44.with local connections, but I will tell my council and others what is

:32:45. > :32:52.unworkable is what Crisis rdported that 50 out of 87 visits of Miz

:32:53. > :32:58.trishopers -- Miz trishoppers, they show that 50 out of 87 visits what

:32:59. > :33:05.was offered was insufficient. And they report a lack of private

:33:06. > :33:10.interview rooms, akin to public humiliation. The poverty-related

:33:11. > :33:14.shame. The stigma that was reinforced by what they recdived by

:33:15. > :33:18.local authorities. That must end. That is what is unworkable. It is

:33:19. > :33:27.unworkable that many were jtst dismissed with a selection of

:33:28. > :33:34.leaflets this they were unable to understand or decipher. That is the

:33:35. > :33:39.unacceptable as is the rising level of homelessness. We must ensure we

:33:40. > :33:50.don't just let people fall back on the priority need and sitting on our

:33:51. > :33:54.hands and we deliver more comprehensive duty and the safety

:33:55. > :33:59.act of the housing Act is aged and it is failing and unworkabld for the

:34:00. > :34:12.homeless and we need to get on and back this bill. Mike Gates. Last

:34:13. > :34:15.night I attend an event org`nised by the citizen's organisation for east

:34:16. > :34:20.London. They're working to dstablish a community land trust. This was

:34:21. > :34:24.hosted by the Salvation Armx, who in a few weeks will open a night

:34:25. > :34:27.shelter in my constituency which they do every winter and I have to

:34:28. > :34:32.say two thirds of those people who say two thirds of those people who

:34:33. > :34:36.stay in that night shelter will not be affected by this bill, bdcause

:34:37. > :34:41.they have no recourse to public funds. Thousands of people on the

:34:42. > :34:46.streets who are sleeping rotgh who, because they don't have EU treaty

:34:47. > :34:50.rights or for other reasons, they have no recourse to public funds and

:34:51. > :34:57.that problem will continue regardless of what this bill does.

:34:58. > :35:00.Yes, I give way. Isn't it true if we are going to deal with stredt

:35:01. > :35:06.homelessness, which many people think we are talking about when we

:35:07. > :35:11.talk about homelessness, it require a lot more money to deal with the

:35:12. > :35:16.complex needs those people have Yes I'm coming on to that questhon. The

:35:17. > :35:23.member for Enfield made an tnfair attack on his local authority. He

:35:24. > :35:28.said that the staff were were not doing their job properly, hd implied

:35:29. > :35:34.that somehow it is the fault of council and the council staff that

:35:35. > :35:42.people don't get services. H have to say I am concerned when I rdad the

:35:43. > :35:45.report of the association of housing advise services which brings

:35:46. > :35:50.together people in local authorities, all over London, who

:35:51. > :35:56.have calculated that the extension of the homelessness preventhon duty

:35:57. > :36:08.to single non-I vulnerable people will lead to an additional cost of

:36:09. > :36:13.over ?100 million. 40 million from the Government is peanuts compared

:36:14. > :36:18.with London alone having additional costs. I in an intervention on the

:36:19. > :36:24.member who sponsored the bill pointed out my council red bridge

:36:25. > :36:29.has said that it will cost them ?5 million. Red bridge an area

:36:30. > :36:37.suffering a major homelessndss problem. We have a situation in my

:36:38. > :36:44.area where we have 278,000 people, 64% of households own their own

:36:45. > :36:49.home, 11%, only 11%, live in social housing and 25% rent privatdly.

:36:50. > :36:53.Systemically in the last three years, large numbers of private

:36:54. > :36:57.tenants have been evicted from their homes in Red bridge, becausd of

:36:58. > :37:04.benefits changes and becausd of people being... Pushing out

:37:05. > :37:10.landlords pushing people out so they can get higher rents. Every day I

:37:11. > :37:14.have people contacting me from hotels in Bath Road, Hounslow, who

:37:15. > :37:19.have been placed there by mx local authority, because they can't find

:37:20. > :37:26.any accommodation, any accolmodation in the Red Bridge. My counchl outbid

:37:27. > :37:32.Kent County Council for ex-`rmy accommodation in cant bri. H --

:37:33. > :37:37.Canterbury. The reason that happened was because you cannot get people to

:37:38. > :37:41.move out of the hostels in red Bridge, because they're blocked

:37:42. > :37:49.because there is nowhere to go. And we face an ongoing crisis, this Bill

:37:50. > :38:01.unfortunately is a classic piece of wishful thinking. It's gesttre

:38:02. > :38:07.politics of the worst kind. You have the ends, but you don't provide the

:38:08. > :38:12.means. You make yourself fedl good, because you vote for somethhng,

:38:13. > :38:15.because it sounds good. It says homelessness reduction. It should

:38:16. > :38:23.not be called homelessness reduction. It should be called

:38:24. > :38:28.homelessness recognition bill. Because this bill will not provide

:38:29. > :38:34.any additional social housing in my constituency. It won't provhde any

:38:35. > :38:39.additional good quality private rented accommodation in my

:38:40. > :38:44.constituency. It won't provhde any extra money for my local authority

:38:45. > :38:48.to off set the additional ?4 million they estimate will be necessary

:38:49. > :38:54.because of bureaucratic reqtirements and the staff requirements that they

:38:55. > :39:01.will have from this bill. I could go on at length. I'm tempted to go on

:39:02. > :39:06.after the attitude of mover who seems to say take it or leave it and

:39:07. > :39:13.don't amend it. There are issues with the bill. L. It has

:39:14. > :39:18.implications in area that whll lead to costs and processing. I just

:39:19. > :39:26.concentrate on one or two of them. The proposal to give a duty and to

:39:27. > :39:33.change the definitions of homelessness does not give ts any

:39:34. > :39:38.extra temporary accommodation. You cannot deal with these problems

:39:39. > :39:43.simply by shuffling it around so that women with children ard not

:39:44. > :39:48.able to get the accommodation in the area, because somebody who hs single

:39:49. > :39:56.homeless has had it instead. That simply means more potentially more

:39:57. > :39:59.people developing out -- gohng out of area and there are legal

:40:00. > :40:02.judgments about the definithons of what local authorities can do when

:40:03. > :40:07.they send people out of are`. We have a major crisis in houshng in

:40:08. > :40:13.London generally and certainly in east London at this moment. This

:40:14. > :40:18.bill does not deal with that. There is this entirely new accommodation

:40:19. > :40:23.duty to provide people with accommodation for a maximum period

:40:24. > :40:27.fixed of 56 days if they have got nowhere safe to stay. And that

:40:28. > :40:34.supposedly is going to solvd the problem. But it doesn't really. It

:40:35. > :40:42.just simply shuffles the crhteria around. We have in the bill

:40:43. > :40:49.various... No, all right I will take. Of course. I'm very tdmpted to

:40:50. > :40:52.allow the member to continud, but the reality is I think the

:40:53. > :40:58.honourable gentleman is looking at the original draft bill rather than

:40:59. > :41:02.the bill that is presented today. The 56 days emergency accomlodation

:41:03. > :41:06.was removed at the request of the CLG select committee, because of

:41:07. > :41:10.resource requirements and bdcause London authorities in particular

:41:11. > :41:17.said that it would be unworkable and cost too much. I trust that he will

:41:18. > :41:21.understand that has been reloved and probably removes the principal

:41:22. > :41:26.objection heys to the bill. I'm grateful for the intervention and I

:41:27. > :41:30.look forward to seeing the final version of the bill after it's

:41:31. > :41:38.come... After it's come out of committee. I accept that he has made

:41:39. > :41:43.some late changes to it. Whhch were mainly because the CLG commhttee

:41:44. > :41:52.came up with the proposals by the member for Sheffield.

:41:53. > :41:58.in and on to this bill is about the objections and the requiremdnts to

:41:59. > :42:04.the costs, which will be considerable and my borough and many

:42:05. > :42:09.other borrowers in London. -- other borrowers in London.

:42:10. > :42:21.Redbridge council has calculated that there will be between 3.2 and

:42:22. > :42:27.4.3 million additional accolmodation costs, and that there were staffing

:42:28. > :42:36.costs of 600 and the ?3000, according to Redbridge Counsel, just

:42:37. > :42:40.for one borough. And that a time when we have faced ?70 millhon in

:42:41. > :42:43.central government cuts in three years in my local authority, when we

:42:44. > :42:49.are cutting services and we are restructuring and reorganishng, and

:42:50. > :42:57.we are down to the bare-bonds, this is potentially a significant

:42:58. > :43:01.additional burden at a time when we know that councils all over the

:43:02. > :43:07.country face and Autumn Statement, potentially, that is not gohng to be

:43:08. > :43:11.very friendly towards them. There is, of course, an argument that we

:43:12. > :43:19.should just pass the bill today and hope for the best. I have to say, I

:43:20. > :43:25.look forward and Willis and with great interest to what the linister

:43:26. > :43:29.says -- will listen with grdat interest, to what the minister says

:43:30. > :43:38.in his summing up, because he needs to reassure me, but not just me He

:43:39. > :43:44.leads to reassure Labour and Conservative and Liberal Delocrat

:43:45. > :43:47.and ratepayer council -- cotncil is all over the country that these

:43:48. > :43:52.measures are going to be fully funded, not just for one ye`r, not

:43:53. > :43:57.for two years, not for some transitional period, but re`lly

:43:58. > :44:00.funded, and he specifically needs to take account of the needs of London.

:44:01. > :44:06.There is a massive homelessness crisis in London, and the alcohol

:44:07. > :44:13.services, the mental health services, and the provision for

:44:14. > :44:17.dealing with rough sleepers who have no recourse to public funds must be

:44:18. > :44:22.looked at, because they are a blight on our society because of their

:44:23. > :44:26.failure to deal with those hssues properly. This bill does not deal

:44:27. > :44:32.with that issue, and that is why I am raising my concerns todax.

:44:33. > :44:36.Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am very pleased to be standing here

:44:37. > :44:40.today in support of and as ` sponsor of the Homelessness Reduction Bill,

:44:41. > :44:45.as this is an issue that I have pushed since I was first eldcted

:44:46. > :44:49.here. As a new member, I was elected to the Communities And Local

:44:50. > :44:52.Government Select Committee, one of our first tasks was to outlhne

:44:53. > :44:56.enquiries to be looked at. Ly work with homelessness charities in my

:44:57. > :44:59.constituency of Northampton and my experience as a former local

:45:00. > :45:02.authority leader made it cldar to me that not enough was being done to

:45:03. > :45:05.tackle the issue of homelessness. So I pushed for the select comlittee to

:45:06. > :45:09.undertake an enquiry into homelessness. This was widely

:45:10. > :45:13.supported by select committde members, and the enquiry ran from

:45:14. > :45:18.last December until July. Along with one member, I then set up the All

:45:19. > :45:21.Party Parliamentary Group on Iran in homelessness in March this xear

:45:22. > :45:28.That member, Mr Deputy Speaker, was of course Jo Cox, the former member

:45:29. > :45:32.for Batley and Spen. I would like to take this opportunity to pax my own

:45:33. > :45:39.tribute to her. She championed the issue of ending homelessness, and

:45:40. > :45:42.energetic approach to probldm solving and reaching out across the

:45:43. > :45:46.house has been well-documented. But I know, if she were here, that Jo

:45:47. > :45:50.would be in this chamber today and supporting this bill, and I know

:45:51. > :45:52.that Jo would be pleased th`t the issue of homelessness has bden

:45:53. > :45:56.pushed up the political agenda during this Parliament, and it

:45:57. > :45:59.speaks volumes that so many colleagues from across the house

:46:00. > :46:04.have given up a valuable dax in their constituencies to be here in

:46:05. > :46:08.Parliament for this important bill. I'd like to take this opportunity to

:46:09. > :46:11.congratulate my honourable friend for Harrow East were bringing this

:46:12. > :46:17.bill before the house. I know how much work he has put into it, and to

:46:18. > :46:21.secure cross-party support, and most significantly, the support of the

:46:22. > :46:24.government. Indeed, I'm verx pleased the government has announced support

:46:25. > :46:27.for this bill, and I welcomd the measures and additional funding they

:46:28. > :46:31.are putting in place to tackle homelessness. I think this shows

:46:32. > :46:35.that the government is indedd taking the issue seriously, and is

:46:36. > :46:38.committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our society. H'm

:46:39. > :46:42.especially grateful to the lember for Nuneaton for his help and

:46:43. > :46:46.patience on this issue, bec`use I have talked to him at length for

:46:47. > :46:50.many months on it. May I also take this opportunity to thank charities

:46:51. > :46:54.and organisations from across the homelessness sector for thehr

:46:55. > :46:56.support in the process. Thex have provided invaluable knowledge and

:46:57. > :47:02.expertise which has been vital to the select committee, the group

:47:03. > :47:07.finding homelessness, and Bhlly are debating here today. I would also

:47:08. > :47:12.like to thank the staff at Prices for their support, and my own office

:47:13. > :47:16.staff. I find it disturbing that in the UK in the 21st century, support

:47:17. > :47:20.for homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless c`n be

:47:21. > :47:23.silicon system from area to area, and 70 people continue to f`ll

:47:24. > :47:28.through the net. -- can be so inconsistent. It is my hope that the

:47:29. > :47:32.provisions laid out in this bill not only result in positive changes to

:47:33. > :47:35.support structures and local councils and other public bodies,

:47:36. > :47:39.but also lead to a cultural change in the way that all public bodies

:47:40. > :47:45.view homeless people and thdir role in its prevention. The meastres in

:47:46. > :47:48.this bill am not, of course, be an issue for local authorities, who

:47:49. > :47:53.already provide support that is suitable or goes above and beyond in

:47:54. > :47:56.the help that they get. But it will be a positive step forward to

:47:57. > :48:00.improve standards in other authorities who have fallen behind,

:48:01. > :48:03.and we have had far too manx examples of local authoritids who

:48:04. > :48:05.hide behind the current law and force people into hardship `nd

:48:06. > :48:11.circumstances that none of ts would want to see. I'm sure we have all

:48:12. > :48:15.heard shocking stories of pdople being forced to sleep rough before

:48:16. > :48:19.they could access help from the local council, or instances where

:48:20. > :48:23.people have been made to make their own situation intolerably worse

:48:24. > :48:27.before they were eligible for help which, if they were provided

:48:28. > :48:30.earlier, would have presentdd them -- prevented them from having to

:48:31. > :48:33.sleep rough altogether. Loc`l authorities already do a huge amount

:48:34. > :48:38.to believe homelessness for vulnerable people, but this must be

:48:39. > :48:42.extended to help single vulnerable people, and our failure to have

:48:43. > :48:47.adequate positions there were provisions in this place to help

:48:48. > :48:52.these people, some of whom have mental health problems, is something

:48:53. > :48:56.we need to look out. The catses for individuals and families to become

:48:57. > :48:59.homeless are complex, including relationship breakdowns, substance

:49:00. > :49:02.abuse, mental illness, lack of suitable housing, or believhng of

:49:03. > :49:08.care of the Armed Forces. F`ctors are often not unique, and the

:49:09. > :49:12.individual circumstances ard different rage case. This mdans that

:49:13. > :49:18.those who are ready in touch with one if not more public bodids, beer

:49:19. > :49:22.the NHS, the local council or a branch of the Armed Forces. It also

:49:23. > :49:27.means there is significant potential for preventative intervention at an

:49:28. > :49:30.early stage. Something I have repeatedly heard when talking to

:49:31. > :49:34.health care professionals, lental health workers and even offhcers

:49:35. > :49:36.concerned with the welfare of service personnel leaving otr Armed

:49:37. > :49:40.Forces is that when they iddntify and at risk individual and `ttempt

:49:41. > :49:43.to intervene, they are often frustrated by the lack of hdlp they

:49:44. > :49:47.received from local housing authorities. This is not generally

:49:48. > :49:52.because of a reluctance to help people but because the structures

:49:53. > :49:57.they work within are not always properly supporting cross agency

:49:58. > :50:01.working or specific individtals Importantly, this bill does not

:50:02. > :50:04.place an additional duty of responsibility and public bodies,

:50:05. > :50:08.but empowers them to give a louder voice when dealing with housing

:50:09. > :50:12.authorities. Together with the enhanced requirements placed on

:50:13. > :50:16.local councils to help thosd at risk of homelessness within 56 d`ys, this

:50:17. > :50:21.bill is a significant step forward and provides more support.

:50:22. > :50:24.Understandably, one main concern around this bill in local government

:50:25. > :50:28.is the additional financial burden that is being placed upon them. We

:50:29. > :50:31.heard positive news from thd government earlier this month, and I

:50:32. > :50:35.look forward to hearing what the minister said later in this debate.

:50:36. > :50:40.To conclude, I believe this bill can make a significant difference to the

:50:41. > :50:43.lives of many vulnerable people but at present, there are far greater

:50:44. > :50:46.risks of homelessness than acceptable. It is clear the current

:50:47. > :50:50.system is not providing adepuate help to those most at risk, but the

:50:51. > :50:55.measures laid out in this bhll create a framework and culttre in

:50:56. > :50:59.the public sector where earlier intervention, better cross `gency

:51:00. > :51:05.cooperation, consistency of support, legal help for all qualifying

:51:06. > :51:10.homeless people, become standard. Today, we have an opportunity to

:51:11. > :51:14.take a stand and make that happen. Thank you. I welcome this bhll

:51:15. > :51:20.today, and feel that it will, when introduced, make a real difference

:51:21. > :51:23.in terms of early interventhon, prevention and broadening the scope

:51:24. > :51:27.of assistance to those people who are currently defined as

:51:28. > :51:35.non-priority, a category whhch often asks the very real range of

:51:36. > :51:38.experience that many people seeking help for homelessness actually have.

:51:39. > :51:43.I have major reservations about the capacity to deliver what is being

:51:44. > :51:46.proposed, in common with many of my colleagues, and which I will touch

:51:47. > :51:49.upon. But I still think it hs the ability is worth supporting. I

:51:50. > :51:56.congratulate the honourable member for bringing it forward, and for the

:51:57. > :51:59.work they have done in supporting it, and for the panel who hdlped

:52:00. > :52:01.draw up this provision. We have heard from a number of people about

:52:02. > :52:07.what actually happened in tdrms of homelessness over the years. As an

:52:08. > :52:10.MP in central London, and bdfore that, a counsellor, I was there when

:52:11. > :52:14.homelessness exploded in thd 19 0s and through the early part of the

:52:15. > :52:20.last decade, saw the progress that was made over the latter half of the

:52:21. > :52:25.last decade in bringing homdlessness down, and rough sleeping, and now

:52:26. > :52:29.see the problem worsening again We heard about a doubling of rough

:52:30. > :52:37.sleeping. But Mr Deputy Spe`ker that is only the tiniest tip of a

:52:38. > :52:41.huge iceberg, and an intractable and difficult one, but one that masks a

:52:42. > :52:45.much wider problem of homeldssness. We know that the acceptance of

:52:46. > :52:50.households in priority need has gone up by one third in the last few

:52:51. > :52:55.years as well. 58,000 households were accepted as homeless l`st year,

:52:56. > :52:57.but that also masks something bigger. I am surprised we h`ven t

:52:58. > :53:03.heard anything this morning about what already exists as the framework

:53:04. > :53:05.for prevention and relief of homelessness and local authorities,

:53:06. > :53:08.which has been a series of leasures that are intended for priorhty

:53:09. > :53:18.groups to try and prevent homelessness. Last year, thdre were

:53:19. > :53:22.220,000 households who recehved help through Prevention And Relidf. Over

:53:23. > :53:28.a million households have rdceived this assistance since 2010, and that

:53:29. > :53:32.just gives us an idea of thd sheer scale of the problem that wd are

:53:33. > :53:38.having to confront, because that in itself is clearly not enough in the

:53:39. > :53:42.present circumstances. I welcome what this bill actually does. I

:53:43. > :53:46.think it will help to bring about a cultural shift and reach people who

:53:47. > :53:50.are currently not receiving assistance. And I know thosd people

:53:51. > :53:55.as individuals, not just as statistics, as I know many

:53:56. > :53:59.colleagues do. The case of @nna who had terminal cancer and heart

:54:00. > :54:02.failure, single, in a private rented property that the landlord was

:54:03. > :54:07.seeking to recover because of a rant Schauble. She sought help from

:54:08. > :54:10.Westminster in order to havd settled and less stressful accommod`tion for

:54:11. > :54:14.her palliative care. She wrote to say, and I quote, the counchl are

:54:15. > :54:19.seeing they are unable to rdgister me for a council property bdcause

:54:20. > :54:23.homes are in short supply and only people with severe medical

:54:24. > :54:27.conditions and welfare problems can apply for it. And that was dying. We

:54:28. > :54:33.fought for a year to get her housed, and won only just in time. H think

:54:34. > :54:38.also of Ahmed, 21, who was thrown out of a hostel for behaviotral

:54:39. > :54:41.problems, stabbed through the hand well sleeping rough, diagnosed with

:54:42. > :54:46.psychosis, but repeatedly ttrned away by the council as non-priority.

:54:47. > :54:51.Until I took him to a centr`l London hostel myself, where the hostel

:54:52. > :54:55.turned away as having too sdvere problems to accommodate him. That

:54:56. > :55:04.led to two years of court b`ttles to resolve. I think of Heidi, who I

:55:05. > :55:07.first met in bed, undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, in a

:55:08. > :55:10.tiny flat with two children, waiting for the bailiffs to come before the

:55:11. > :55:15.council would provide her whth accommodation. And I think of many,

:55:16. > :55:20.young people like Jamal, depressed, who slept in his car becausd of

:55:21. > :55:24.violence in the home, worsened by severe overcrowding, with shx people

:55:25. > :55:26.in a one-bedroom flat, and who I could not demonstrate was homeless

:55:27. > :55:30.because it could not be verhfied he was sleeping in the car, and I could

:55:31. > :55:36.not get anybody to that part of London. Or Tre, 19 years old, who

:55:37. > :55:41.slept in the doorway of his mother's repossessed flat in terror, too

:55:42. > :55:44.afraid to go anywhere else, but again, it was impossible to get

:55:45. > :55:48.anyone to verify he was sledping rough. And finally, another of many,

:55:49. > :55:53.Michael, sleeping rough in the West End after being refused priority. He

:55:54. > :55:57.was required to take medication for his condition that had to bd

:55:58. > :56:01.refrigerated, and was told wrongly and unethically that there was no

:56:02. > :56:04.need to accommodate him durhng a review of his homelessness situation

:56:05. > :56:08.because it would be possibld for a local GP surgery to store hhs

:56:09. > :56:12.medication. I hope this bill will do something to resolve these kinds of

:56:13. > :56:16.cases. They are people with complex problems who nonetheless cannot get

:56:17. > :56:19.over the threshold of priorhty need and need additional advice,

:56:20. > :56:23.assistance and support. It hs not be a list of telephone numbers that we

:56:24. > :56:27.can ring, and I am sure my colleagues have sat and run those

:56:28. > :56:31.numbers for hours on end, unable to get assistance. We know that

:56:32. > :56:35.councils, in some cases, don't even record applications from vulnerable

:56:36. > :56:39.families, and they are turndd away without an application even being

:56:40. > :56:43.taken. We know that the progress of this bill or measures simil`r to it

:56:44. > :56:47.in Wales have made a real difference. I hope they will make a

:56:48. > :56:53.comparable difference in England, but like many of my colleagtes on

:56:54. > :56:57.this side, I welcome -- welcome though those provisions are, they

:56:58. > :57:03.are in a context, and it is one that it is rapidly deteriorating. We know

:57:04. > :57:05.that only one in five private landlords in London now accdpt

:57:06. > :57:14.households on housing benefht. We know there are fresh cuts to come.

:57:15. > :57:18.We know that the impact of the Housing And Planning Bill whll

:57:19. > :57:21.worsen provision in central London. And one statistic, there were 3 0

:57:22. > :57:24.people sleeping rough in Westminster every night last year on avdrage.

:57:25. > :57:31.Housing associations in Westminster alone have sold 301-bedroom flats.

:57:32. > :57:35.-- 300 one-bedroom flats, in order to meet government targets. Life is

:57:36. > :57:38.not quite as neat as that, but it goes to show that the probldm is

:57:39. > :57:39.worsening on one hand, and the ability to respond to it is

:57:40. > :57:46.worsening on the other. We know the measures the Government

:57:47. > :57:50.are taking within welfare rdform and the housing agenda will makd this

:57:51. > :57:54.situation worse. We know thhs bill will mean running up a down

:57:55. > :58:00.escalator. I still think it is worth doing. I want to see sit supported.

:58:01. > :58:04.I think there are as we havd heard there are drafting problems and

:58:05. > :58:09.issues that need to be tightened up. Bit is a welcome bill. But tnless

:58:10. > :58:12.the Government address the underlying causes, which in my cases

:58:13. > :58:18.they have created or making worse, then I'm afraid it will not bring

:58:19. > :58:24.about the transformation we want. Thank you, it is a pleasure to

:58:25. > :58:27.follow the member for Westmhnster North who highlighted the complex

:58:28. > :58:34.needs of her constituents, which this bill hopes to address. It is a

:58:35. > :58:42.pleasure to support the bill, I want to congratulate my honourable friend

:58:43. > :58:46.on bringing forward this trtly historic bill and I commend him for

:58:47. > :58:51.the incredible campaign he has led to lead this lapped mark bill to --

:58:52. > :58:57.landmark bill to this stage. As a member of the select committee I

:58:58. > :59:02.have been pleased to take p`rt in the pre-legislative scrutinx and

:59:03. > :59:09.join other members today who not only support it but are cosponsors.

:59:10. > :59:12.It was the committee's inquhry into homelessness which shone a light on

:59:13. > :59:22.many of the issues that havd been taken up by my honourable friend the

:59:23. > :59:29.member for Harrow East. I w`nt to join colleagues in paying tribute to

:59:30. > :59:33.the homelessness charities, particularly Crisis and Shelter who

:59:34. > :59:40.have given up their time to advice the select committee on this

:59:41. > :59:45.legislation. During the course of our inquiry, we have seen some

:59:46. > :59:49.incredibly behave people who came before the committee to spe`k about

:59:50. > :59:54.their experiences and to sh`re their stories of being homeless or

:59:55. > :59:58.sleeping rough. They gave power chl personal evidence of how vital were

:59:59. > :00:03.those first steps in getting help. How the first contact with their

:00:04. > :00:08.local authorities at the front desk can inform their future. How

:00:09. > :00:13.important this point in thehr story is and how often it can detdrmine

:00:14. > :00:18.whether they have a home or a future on the streets. I commend the work

:00:19. > :00:23.of staff in housing offices across the country. However, we have heard

:00:24. > :00:28.that there is a real disparhty in the quality of service recehved by

:00:29. > :00:37.people needing help. Which was explained by one person, a xoung

:00:38. > :00:46.woman what had been homeless and now acts as a misery shopper for Sigh

:00:47. > :00:50.sis. Crisis. She said as approached them under cover I was an

:00:51. > :00:57.18-year-old girl, who had bden kicked out of her house by her

:00:58. > :01:02.parents. General think -- gdnerally the stereotype would be that it was

:01:03. > :01:13.my fault. A lot of time I w`s advised to work out my problems with

:01:14. > :01:19.my home life. I have. I was ever asked if I was being abused. The

:01:20. > :01:22.bill places a duty on local authorities to provide advisory

:01:23. > :01:28.services. The service that hs designed to meet the needs of people

:01:29. > :01:34.such as victim of domestic `buse, persons suffering from ment`l

:01:35. > :01:40.illness, and care leavers. H welcome provisions in this bill which

:01:41. > :01:43.provide for care leavers, m`king it easier for them to show thex have a

:01:44. > :01:47.local connection with the area of the local authority responshble for

:01:48. > :01:50.their welfare and the area hn which they lived while in the card, if

:01:51. > :01:55.these places were in differdnt locations. And that matters. Because

:01:56. > :01:59.this means that local housing authorities will be obliged to

:02:00. > :02:04.provide services or secure the provision of information frde of

:02:05. > :02:10.charge to prevent hmmness and make people -- homelessness and lake

:02:11. > :02:16.people aware of their right. We must ensure these protections ard robust

:02:17. > :02:24.to ensure safeguards for thdse at risk groups. More importantly are

:02:25. > :02:27.the local area criteria that care leavers are deemed to have ` local

:02:28. > :02:36.connection and where a young person was looked after by a down till

:02:37. > :02:40.counc - -County Council thex have have a connection to any arda in

:02:41. > :02:45.that area. This can keep contacts that can be so important to their

:02:46. > :02:51.well being. I would like too draw attention to the plight of

:02:52. > :03:01.vulnerable women and girls. St Mungo's reports 45% of their female

:03:02. > :03:07.Llay clients have experiencdd abuse and domestic violence contrhbuted to

:03:08. > :03:11.their homelessness. For womdn and girls in these situations the bill

:03:12. > :03:16.means housing authorities h`ve to provide or secure a service that

:03:17. > :03:24.gives them some protection from homelessness when it is most needed.

:03:25. > :03:27.It applies to individuals stffering a mental problem and four in ten

:03:28. > :03:32.people who sleep rough have been found to have a mental health

:03:33. > :03:36.problem. They're more likelx to be stuck sleeping rough for longer than

:03:37. > :03:41.a year. This is a major problem that the bill seeks to address and

:03:42. > :03:45.clearly early intervention `nd prevention has the potential to have

:03:46. > :03:50.a positive impact on the thd lives of these vulnerable people. This is

:03:51. > :03:53.why I welcome the core principles of bill. It reduces requirements for

:03:54. > :03:59.local authority to carry out prevention work with the formulation

:04:00. > :04:03.of a personalised plan. This legislation will need broad

:04:04. > :04:08.co-operation to bring about a change where we focus on prevention instead

:04:09. > :04:13.of intervention at crisis point As I have said, it came across strongly

:04:14. > :04:15.from the evidence given to the committee that there were

:04:16. > :04:20.disparities in service qualhty and I'm pleased that people will be able

:04:21. > :04:26.to know what their rights a are and how they ought to be treated. Girls

:04:27. > :04:29.like this who turned to thehr local authority for help are treated with

:04:30. > :04:34.kindness and respect and with a service that gives them the advice

:04:35. > :04:39.they need to prevent them from becoming homeless. It is a privilege

:04:40. > :04:45.to serve on a select committee which has taken such an active role in

:04:46. > :04:50.enquiring and reporting on this and in scrutinising and supporthng the

:04:51. > :04:55.bill. Finally I am pleased to stand in the chamber with so many members

:04:56. > :04:59.sharing a common goal - to reduce homelessness. I believe this bill

:05:00. > :05:11.will go some way to achieving that aim. I'm proud to support this bill

:05:12. > :05:17.as a cosponsor of it. It is an important bill and the first reform

:05:18. > :05:21.of homelessness legislation for 40 years and an opportunity to make a

:05:22. > :05:26.difference to the lives of thousands. I would thank thd members

:05:27. > :05:30.who have supported the bill and I believe we are engaged in a special

:05:31. > :05:36.process which I hope will ldad to a genuine reform. I would likd to pay

:05:37. > :05:41.tribute to member for Harrow East or the choosing to progress thhs bill

:05:42. > :05:44.and his commitment to it. Hd saw the same evidence as the rest of the

:05:45. > :05:51.select committee and it is to his credit that as a member of governing

:05:52. > :05:58.party he chose not to turn ` blind eye, but champion the need for

:05:59. > :06:01.change. And I pay tribute to the member for Sheffield and thd clerks

:06:02. > :06:07.and special I wases whose work contributed to an inquiry that was

:06:08. > :06:11.innovative and rigorous and was informed by the experience of those

:06:12. > :06:16.who are or have been homeness and those supporting them. I wotld pay

:06:17. > :06:21.tribute to the charities for the work they do every day to stpport

:06:22. > :06:30.homeless people and the evidence they provided. I mention Crhsis in

:06:31. > :06:32.particular, whose misery shopper research has exposed the

:06:33. > :06:36.inadequacies of the current legislate way. As a new MP H have

:06:37. > :06:42.found select committee commhttee work rewarding, because it hs

:06:43. > :06:47.evidence-based scrutiny and the evidence on homelessness was

:06:48. > :06:51.incontrovertible. The systel cannot cope. This process takes th`t

:06:52. > :06:55.scrutiny further and providds the opportunity to make a changd in the

:06:56. > :07:00.law based on the the evidence we received. The fact that the bill has

:07:01. > :07:08.been pre-legislative scrutiny has strengthened it. It has allowed the

:07:09. > :07:14.views and concerns of stake holders including council and many of the

:07:15. > :07:18.down certains to be listened -- concerns to be listened to `nd

:07:19. > :07:22.understand and the bill has addressed some of these. It is

:07:23. > :07:28.fitting that we are debating this bill almost 50 year to the day since

:07:29. > :07:37.the first broadcast of Cathx Come Home, that exposed the cruelties of

:07:38. > :07:42.post war housing crisis and led to the 1977 Housing act that created

:07:43. > :07:47.the duty to house people in priority need and advise those who dhd not

:07:48. > :07:56.meet the criteria. The need for this bill can be summed by the experience

:07:57. > :08:03.of Roz, widow who lived in ` private flat. He was -- she was unable to

:08:04. > :08:08.find anywhere to rent and c`me to see me and I wrote to the council in

:08:09. > :08:15.support of her claim that she was being made homeless through no fault

:08:16. > :08:18.of her own. To my horror thd law determined her age did not lake her

:08:19. > :08:24.vulnerable and that the council did not have any duty to house her. She

:08:25. > :08:31.waited for the bailiffs to `rrive and then approached the council

:08:32. > :08:35.again. They gave her a list of organisations that could provide

:08:36. > :08:41.accommodation. All needed a referral from the council. The counchl acted

:08:42. > :08:49.within the framework and in the face of crippling demands what v had no

:08:50. > :08:56.other choice. Roz spent sevdral months sofa surfing, before being

:08:57. > :09:03.moved into sheltderred houshng. Her -- sheltered housing. She would have

:09:04. > :09:06.been my mother or my aunt. Hn the same circumstances I would have

:09:07. > :09:11.expected help to be available, but there was no obligation to help It

:09:12. > :09:16.seemed too harsh and it seeled that had the council had a prevention

:09:17. > :09:19.duty she could have been helped before the bailiffs arrived. The

:09:20. > :09:22.sheltered housing may have been found earlier and her transhtion

:09:23. > :09:29.could have been managed without the level of anxiety she sufferdd. We

:09:30. > :09:34.have a housing... I'm not going to take interventions. We have a crisis

:09:35. > :09:38.which is unprecedented sincd the post war period. In the last five

:09:39. > :09:43.years there has been an increase in the number of people experidncing

:09:44. > :09:49.homelessness. The number sldeping rough had doubled and the ntmber

:09:50. > :09:53.being accepted as being owed the main homelessness duty has

:09:54. > :09:59.increased. And the number of people receiving prevention and relief is

:10:00. > :10:04.up by 33%. The ending of a private tenancy is the single biggest cause

:10:05. > :10:08.of new homelessness applications. The majority of applicants `re not

:10:09. > :10:13.covered by the current legislation and for them councils only need to

:10:14. > :10:17.provide basic information. However there is little detail in the

:10:18. > :10:24.legislation on how this shotld be provide and no minimum qualhty for

:10:25. > :10:29.the information provided. In 20 4 Crisis mystery shoppers found in 50

:10:30. > :10:34.of the 87 case people received inadequate or insufficient help

:10:35. > :10:41.Many councils provide a good service and I pay tribute to the cotncils I

:10:42. > :10:45.represent including Southwark. However, the current variabhlity

:10:46. > :10:52.between and within councils is not acceptable. Our select commhttee

:10:53. > :10:57.heard from witnesses includhng within who made a film about her

:10:58. > :11:01.family's experience. The evhdence showed too many people feel when

:11:02. > :11:05.they approach their council they end up feeling like an inconvenhence,

:11:06. > :11:10.judged for their circumstances and stripped of their dignity. There is

:11:11. > :11:15.a rationale to a system basdd on need but in this crisis, having

:11:16. > :11:21.priority need is the only criteria means too many people go unsupported

:11:22. > :11:29.and the Bill seeks to ensurd that the help f homelessness people is

:11:30. > :11:33.fairer. Prevention is important because the costs of actual

:11:34. > :11:39.homelessness are high. Crishs research has shown failing to tackle

:11:40. > :11:43.this costs the taxpayer between three thousand and 18 thous`nd for

:11:44. > :11:48.every person in the first ydar and the cost to the state is up to a

:11:49. > :11:54.billion pounds chl much of this cost is borne by councils through the

:11:55. > :12:00.costs of nightly rate temporary accommodation. Helping to transition

:12:01. > :12:13.to a home can reduce costs. The bill introduces a new dtty to

:12:14. > :12:17.find help for an applicant within 45 days. It broadens the range of

:12:18. > :12:21.people who will be held, and makes the help more meaningful. Btt this

:12:22. > :12:24.cannot simply be a passing on of additional obligations to councils

:12:25. > :12:27.and other resources to fulfhl them. I am pleased the government is

:12:28. > :12:33.aborting this bill, but it introduces new board and burdens the

:12:34. > :12:36.local authorities, and therdfore, the government must make good on its

:12:37. > :12:40.support by granting the resources to deliver these new obligations. It is

:12:41. > :12:43.important we see an announcdment in the Autumn Statement to givd comfort

:12:44. > :12:47.to local authorities on this point, but we must be absolutely clear that

:12:48. > :12:50.councils will be funded to leet the new duties. Finally, we cannot

:12:51. > :12:54.debate the law as it affects homeless people without mention of

:12:55. > :12:57.the wider housing crisis. Wd will not solve the scandal of

:12:58. > :13:01.homelessness by creating a new legal framework if the government's wider

:13:02. > :13:05.housing policy continues to contribute directly to making the

:13:06. > :13:09.crisis worse, so while I welcome the cross-party commitment to this

:13:10. > :13:13.principle reform of homelessness legislation, I call on the

:13:14. > :13:16.government to change its approach to housing more widely, to fund the

:13:17. > :13:18.building of council homes wd urgently need, to stop the forced

:13:19. > :13:23.sale of precious council holes, to reform the private rented the give

:13:24. > :13:26.more security of tenure, and to reform the benefits system so that

:13:27. > :13:30.people do not become homeless because housing benefit or the

:13:31. > :13:33.housing allowance captors not come close to covering their rents. In

:13:34. > :13:36.the face of the evidence I have seen in my constituency and to the select

:13:37. > :13:40.committee enquiry, we cannot wait for all these measures to bd in

:13:41. > :13:43.place before we reform homelessness legislation. The government must

:13:44. > :13:49.back up its commitment with resources, and I urged colldagues to

:13:50. > :13:52.support this possible reforl, which has the capacity to make holeless

:13:53. > :13:57.support fairer and more meaningful, and allow people to be held when

:13:58. > :14:02.they most need it. I will try and live up to that. Can

:14:03. > :14:08.I star by referring to my entry in the register and to say to the

:14:09. > :14:10.honourable lady, that was an outstanding speech, and she and her

:14:11. > :14:13.fellow members of the select committee should feel proud at what

:14:14. > :14:17.they have done in getting this bill so far. Homeless cases are some of

:14:18. > :14:24.the most troubling we see in our surgeries, because they bring with

:14:25. > :14:28.them many overlaying aspects of human misery that have brought the

:14:29. > :14:32.person to those circumstancds, and we are assisted in our work as

:14:33. > :14:39.members of Parliament by fantastic organisations in our constituencies,

:14:40. > :14:45.and I will list two. Loose Dnds which to call a soup kitchen would

:14:46. > :14:50.be not to even get near the level of support it gives to homeless people,

:14:51. > :14:53.and also to To Saints, a hostel And I commend the work of the mdmber for

:14:54. > :14:57.Oxford East and say to the linister it would be a great shame if the

:14:58. > :15:01.great work the government is doing to support this piece of legislation

:15:02. > :15:07.were undermined in any way by local authorities being unable to continue

:15:08. > :15:11.funding contracts for hostels right across the country, and also, I paid

:15:12. > :15:16.review to be Citizens Advicd, for keeping many people from getting

:15:17. > :15:19.homeless in the first place. I commend my honourable friend in the

:15:20. > :15:23.way he has brought this bill Fulwood. He says primary legislation

:15:24. > :15:27.is often not the best way to tackle a problem like this, but thd fact he

:15:28. > :15:33.has done this in a cross-party way pre-legislative scrutiny is

:15:34. > :15:36.absolutely exemplary. I feel most of the concerns raised to us bx local

:15:37. > :15:41.government have been addressed, and I look forward to hearing what the

:15:42. > :15:46.minister says in that regard. This concept of new duties meaning new

:15:47. > :15:50.money is excellent. But I would draw honourable members' attention to

:15:51. > :15:55.what happened with the Soci`l Care Act, they would encourage mx

:15:56. > :15:57.honourable friend is this progresses through both houses, despitd the

:15:58. > :16:01.excellent minister we have here that we get on the record what that

:16:02. > :16:06.actually means, because I h`ve a recurring problem in my constituency

:16:07. > :16:09.and the funding of a new burden under that act, which my honourable

:16:10. > :16:14.friend, the member for Warrhngton South, I hope is about to rdsolve.

:16:15. > :16:18.Members on both sides of thd house have been absolutely right to say

:16:19. > :16:25.that the perverse incentives that currently exist, and which cause

:16:26. > :16:28.local authorities, however compassionate, however comp`ssionate

:16:29. > :16:30.the council is on staff at those authorities are, mean they have to

:16:31. > :16:34.play a kind of game of brinksmanship with someone who is facing `

:16:35. > :16:38.potential crisis in their lhfe. If this goes a long way to addressing

:16:39. > :16:42.that, I think the glass half empty approach of an earlier speech from

:16:43. > :16:47.the honourable member for Ilford will actually be shown in the

:16:48. > :16:49.fullness of time, that his concerns will not have been realised. I also

:16:50. > :16:54.think that what happens at the moment is a perverse pressure is put

:16:55. > :17:00.on the private rented sector to make housing available... Not to make

:17:01. > :17:02.housing available to people on housing benefit and other vtlnerable

:17:03. > :17:06.tenants, they speak with sole experience of this, both in London

:17:07. > :17:12.and in providing affordable housing in rural areas, where I belheve

:17:13. > :17:15.there are small tweaks the government can do to go somd way to

:17:16. > :17:20.address the problems that pdople are seeing in the housing crisis that

:17:21. > :17:25.they refer to. I also hope this bill will blow the divide that exists

:17:26. > :17:31.between providers, whether that is local government, providers, policy

:17:32. > :17:34.created by national governmdnt, the charity sector, agencies such as

:17:35. > :17:39.mental health organisations, and the police. I really commend my

:17:40. > :17:44.honourable friend forgetting on the face of the bill, in clause tee

:17:45. > :17:48.subsection tee, the service must be designed to meet the needs of

:17:49. > :17:52.persons in the district, and then listing in particular, and H will

:17:53. > :17:58.not list them, because therd is not time, but I will just quote three.

:17:59. > :18:02.Care leavers, former members of the Armed Forces and victims of domestic

:18:03. > :18:06.abuse. Actually, I will go one stage further to talk about peopld

:18:07. > :18:10.released from prison. In my local homelessness Forum, I heard cases,

:18:11. > :18:14.this is going back a view ydars and I hope it has got better, where

:18:15. > :18:18.people leaving prison go back to the community where they offenddd, their

:18:19. > :18:22.benefits to come through on time, they sofa surf, possibly, whth

:18:23. > :18:26.someone against whom they offended in the past, and you can wrhte the

:18:27. > :18:30.script after that. So I really hope the work being done by manageable

:18:31. > :18:35.friend in commissioning this bill will help to resolve that. H

:18:36. > :18:46.conclude by echoing the prahse for the wonderful organisation Crisis,

:18:47. > :18:49.but also a view more. DEpAUL service -- DePaul's service, providhng

:18:50. > :18:53.secure accommodation for people under the age of 25 with vetted and

:18:54. > :18:57.trained volunteer hosts is `n extraordinary service, and one which

:18:58. > :19:00.we can roll out across our constituencies, and which whll

:19:01. > :19:05.address many of the problems people will talk about. And the Centre For

:19:06. > :19:09.Social Justice, which I am honoured to be involved with, along with a

:19:10. > :19:14.former colleague here, Brooks Newmark, doing an interesting piece

:19:15. > :19:17.of work in building on succdss is in places like the US and Finl`nd,

:19:18. > :19:20.talking about early intervention, talking about whether current

:19:21. > :19:24.legislation is fit for purpose, and I hope that is to an extent being

:19:25. > :19:28.addressed today, and talking beyond legislation, building on best

:19:29. > :19:32.practice. So we can say collectively on our watch across the house, we

:19:33. > :19:38.have tackled one of the most shaming, as my honourable friend

:19:39. > :19:42.says, features of modern society, the figure huddled in the doorway,

:19:43. > :19:47.and the myriad other forms of homelessness that exists, whll be

:19:48. > :19:55.addressed by this bill and by the actions of a government that really

:19:56. > :19:59.wants to address social reform. Thank you very much. I ride early in

:20:00. > :20:04.the Palace of Westminster this morning, and between the tube

:20:05. > :20:07.station and the entrance, I passed four people asleep on the floor in

:20:08. > :20:11.the tunnel. I don't think I've ever been passed as many as that.

:20:12. > :20:15.Thereafter people sleeping there, but the fact that there are four

:20:16. > :20:18.this morning was a visible reminder of the growing scale of the problem

:20:19. > :20:24.we're discussing quite rightly in this debate. Next Tuesday, ` night

:20:25. > :20:30.shelter in my constituency will open its doors for the fourth ye`r. 4

:20:31. > :20:33.churches, led by a local Baptist church, which started the

:20:34. > :20:40.initiative, will each provide shelter and a meal for up to 15

:20:41. > :20:45.single adults, one night each per week. So seven churches will do it

:20:46. > :20:48.for the first three months, and then another seven will do it for the

:20:49. > :20:50.following three months. So from November to March, they will be

:20:51. > :20:58.places for 15 adults, and Elile every night of the week. -- and a

:20:59. > :21:03.meal. Last year, the night shelter obtained the quality Mark from

:21:04. > :21:07.Housing Justice, which supports church -based homeless inithatives

:21:08. > :21:11.around the country. They estimate that 500 judges, Church halls,

:21:12. > :21:18.synagogues and mosques opendd up to provide shelter overnight l`st

:21:19. > :21:23.winter. -- churches, church walls, synagogues and mosques. I ilagine

:21:24. > :21:27.many will be doing so this summer. New Way has provided accommodation

:21:28. > :21:30.to 225 people in the last fdw years, and have helped about a third of

:21:31. > :21:34.those people to secure long,term housing. I must say, the

:21:35. > :21:40.coordinator, Jonathan Adams, used to design racing cars for a living and

:21:41. > :21:47.has done a Antarctic job. -, a fantastic job. At another f`cility

:21:48. > :21:53.in Canning town, where I am a patron, that supports over 200

:21:54. > :21:56.homeless adults at any one time provides a supportive rehabhlitation

:21:57. > :22:02.for them as well. Both thosd organisations have been among those

:22:03. > :22:04.which have been lobbying us to support the bill which the

:22:05. > :22:11.honourable member has brought forward this morning. Anchor House

:22:12. > :22:15.developed a very impressive online application with a notice board to

:22:16. > :22:22.support homeless people and housing providers, and others, actu`lly and

:22:23. > :22:26.they hope, and they are confident, that that will significantlx

:22:27. > :22:31.shorten, if it is in widespread use, the delay is currently experienced

:22:32. > :22:36.and endured by homeless people. These are wonderful initiathves As

:22:37. > :22:40.so often, it is faith groups that are on the front line of medting

:22:41. > :22:45.need, but they argue rightlx that they should not be having to deal

:22:46. > :22:51.with the scale of the homeldssness crisis that we are facing today I

:22:52. > :22:55.warmly commend the honourable member for bringing forward this Bhll, only

:22:56. > :22:58.organisations that he has bden working with. I welcome the work of

:22:59. > :23:04.the Welsh Assembly government, which has come up with ideas that gave us

:23:05. > :23:10.the blueprint... . Will he give way?

:23:11. > :23:16.I will. As a member of parlhament from Wales, I would say that the

:23:17. > :23:19.methods from Wales have been transformational, and would he agree

:23:20. > :23:21.that the methods need to be shared more widely?

:23:22. > :23:24.I completely agree, and I think this house should extend its thanks to

:23:25. > :23:27.the Welsh assembly government for the ideas that have helped to bring

:23:28. > :23:32.about the change, and will hopefully do so in England as well. I do want

:23:33. > :23:36.to press the minister, though, to set out some information to us,

:23:37. > :23:43.which has been hinted that he will, the resources that will enable the

:23:44. > :23:51.new burdens in this Bill to be discharged. We have heard qtite

:23:52. > :23:57.large estimates of what those costs will be. The London Housing

:23:58. > :24:01.Partnership currently estim`tes that implementing the bill in east London

:24:02. > :24:05.will cost local councils in East London ?18 million in the fhrst

:24:06. > :24:08.year. That is a good deal ldss than they were estimating a month or so

:24:09. > :24:12.ago, as a result of changes that the honourable member for Harrow East

:24:13. > :24:17.talk about in response to the sea Jese select committee. But ht is

:24:18. > :24:21.nevertheless a substantial cost and I think we need reassurance that

:24:22. > :24:26.those costs are going to be met or at least, we need some figures to

:24:27. > :24:31.give an indication of what the government believes those costs will

:24:32. > :24:35.be. I very much welcome the fact that local councils will be taking

:24:36. > :24:38.on these new responsibilitids. I think there is the potential to

:24:39. > :24:42.transform the service as we have heard. I very much welcome the fact

:24:43. > :24:47.that the government is supporting the bill, but the government does

:24:48. > :24:52.also need to shoulder its responsibility, and confirm, I hope

:24:53. > :24:58.very soon, what additional funding it will provide to enable local

:24:59. > :25:01.councils to play their part. We heard earlier that some London

:25:02. > :25:04.councils were saying the bill was unworkable. I think almost certainly

:25:05. > :25:08.that view would have been expressed before the changes that we have

:25:09. > :25:12.heard about in this debate. I don't think that is the view in local

:25:13. > :25:14.councils in north London or elsewhere at the moment, but we do

:25:15. > :25:18.need assurance about the resources being provided from the govdrnment

:25:19. > :25:20.to enable local councils to take these welcome additional

:25:21. > :25:32.responsibilities forward. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Can I

:25:33. > :25:37.start by referring honourable members to my entries in thd

:25:38. > :25:40.register of members' interests? I want to start also by congr`tulating

:25:41. > :25:43.my right honourable friend for Harrow East for the way that he has

:25:44. > :25:50.piloted this will through its initial stages and in preparation

:25:51. > :25:54.for the bill being brought before us today for its second reading.

:25:55. > :25:59.Working with outside agencids, ensuring that it has had

:26:00. > :26:06.pre-legislative scrutiny from the relevant select committee, which he

:26:07. > :26:13.sits on, scrutiny, and I thhnk it has resulted in a better bill

:26:14. > :26:17.because of that scrutiny. Whth 8 pages and 13 causes, it ain't no

:26:18. > :26:26.ordinary private members' bhll, but I think the fact that he has secured

:26:27. > :26:31.the support of outside agencies public campaigns, lobbying

:26:32. > :26:36.Parliament, and I paid should be to those from my own area in Housing

:26:37. > :26:38.Link, that came down for th`t. I think it'll demonstrate that that

:26:39. > :26:45.work has actually paid off this morning. -- I think it all

:26:46. > :26:48.demonstrates. No one can be in any doubt that homelessness is ` real

:26:49. > :26:51.problem. The rough sleeping statistics for England estilate that

:26:52. > :27:03.the number of people sleeping rough has increased from 1768 in 2010 to

:27:04. > :27:08.3569 in 2015. In my own loc`l authority area, the figures have

:27:09. > :27:18.varied from a peak of ten in 20 3 to a rather doubtful zero in 2014, 29

:27:19. > :27:21.last year. -- to nine last xear No legislation itself will solve the

:27:22. > :27:32.problem of homelessness, and there are many people in charities,

:27:33. > :27:36.volunteers and those in the third sector who work for the homdlessness

:27:37. > :27:40.department, his stride day `nd night to help those who are finding

:27:41. > :27:45.themselves either homeless or in threat of being made homeless. I

:27:46. > :27:50.want to place on record my thanks for the work that they do.

:27:51. > :27:58.Particular think work of Booth centre in Manchester, which my own

:27:59. > :28:02.charity regularly collects for and provides help to. I suppose the

:28:03. > :28:07.proposal to enshoo that you are single people -- ensure that single

:28:08. > :28:11.people who are facing homeldssness are not discriminated against,

:28:12. > :28:17.simply because they're single people and they do not fall into one of the

:28:18. > :28:22.priority groups. And it must make sense to extend the time period

:28:23. > :28:28.during which help can be offered. The old adage that prevention is

:28:29. > :28:34.better than cure is nowhere truer than when it comes to homeldssness.

:28:35. > :28:39.Of course, one of the underlying causes of homelessness is the supply

:28:40. > :28:47.of homes and it is thereford incumbent on all social housing

:28:48. > :28:54.providers to keep their voy`ge to a minimum. But the other side of the

:28:55. > :28:58.equation which is something we have not really heard about todax that is

:28:59. > :29:04.of demand and the effect th`t immigration is having on thd supply

:29:05. > :29:09.of housing. With a net 300,000 people more a year coming into the

:29:10. > :29:15.country, all those needing ` home somewhere, it must be having an

:29:16. > :29:21.effect, an impact on the nulber of homes required. It must be having an

:29:22. > :29:26.effect on homelessness. It lust be also having an effect on rental

:29:27. > :29:37.levels. But nevertheless, I support the bill. Let me congratulate the

:29:38. > :29:41.honourable gentleman for Harrow East for bringing the bill and the manner

:29:42. > :29:44.in which he has done so, thd cross party working he has fosterdd and

:29:45. > :29:50.the pre-legislative scrutinx that we have seen from the committed he sits

:29:51. > :29:53.on, the communities and loc`l government select committee. Given

:29:54. > :29:59.the time restrictions, I will try and be pre-. I want to make three

:30:00. > :30:04.points. The first is that homelessness is an issue close to my

:30:05. > :30:10.heart, because 34 years ago my mother and I found ourselves in that

:30:11. > :30:16.situation. And as a single parent, my mum applied to the local council

:30:17. > :30:19.for a council home and forttnately for us while we waiting for that to

:30:20. > :30:25.become available we were able to stay with friends of hers and we

:30:26. > :30:30.were lucky enough to secure a council property. And I don't really

:30:31. > :30:36.remember that experience, btt my mum does and I know she experienced the

:30:37. > :30:41.warmth and sanctity and the relief that that council property brought

:30:42. > :30:47.to our small family. We werd lucky in the 80s local councils could

:30:48. > :30:52.easily give people in our shtuation that sort of help and support and

:30:53. > :30:58.frankly it was a lot cheaper than putting us in what would happen

:30:59. > :31:01.three decades later, putting us into emergency accommodation or hn the

:31:02. > :31:08.private rented sector, wherd we might not be able to afford the pay

:31:09. > :31:16.the rents. And I welcome thd shift that this bill is trying to engender

:31:17. > :31:22.from cure to prevention. And I welcome the fact that the government

:31:23. > :31:28.are supporting this legislation However, I think in this first point

:31:29. > :31:31.I would like to say that thdre are wider policies that the Govdrnment

:31:32. > :31:36.are pursuing that go against the grain of the progress that this bill

:31:37. > :31:42.is trying to make. For example and my honourable friend from the front

:31:43. > :31:46.bench for went wrt has asked to Government to rethink this `nd I

:31:47. > :31:52.would agree, the forcing cotncil to sell off council homes to ftnd the

:31:53. > :31:57.introduction of right to bux for housing association homes, we are

:31:58. > :32:02.going to see fewer and fewer council homes available. Since the 80 #s we

:32:03. > :32:10.have already lost 1.6 million council properties. The majority of

:32:11. > :32:15.which have not been replaced. Again, watering down section 106 agreements

:32:16. > :32:19.and replacing affordability requirements with starter homes

:32:20. > :32:22.Now, I think we should encotrage people, help people to get on the

:32:23. > :32:27.the housing ladder, but as lany of the members on this side of the

:32:28. > :32:34.House have already said in the debate, some people won't bd able to

:32:35. > :32:38.afford to buy and will need to rent. And thirdly, I think the Government

:32:39. > :32:43.needs to reflect more widelx on the cuts to local councils broadly, but

:32:44. > :32:47.also particularly in the arda of public health, because we know know

:32:48. > :32:54.that within the complex web of reasons as to why people find

:32:55. > :32:56.themselves homeless, addicthon is a driver and councils increashngly are

:32:57. > :33:03.finding it difficult to givd that support. Now, the second pohnt I

:33:04. > :33:08.wanted to make was that what we are seeing since this Government came to

:33:09. > :33:11.power in 2010 after the progress made in the 13 years that wd were in

:33:12. > :33:16.power and the honourable gentleman is honest about this, we ard seeing

:33:17. > :33:21.the number of rough sleepers has doubled in the last six years. We

:33:22. > :33:32.are seeing homelessness increasing. But that is not happening ehther in

:33:33. > :33:39.Scotland or Wales. And my honourable friend for Eastham, am I right? Yes.

:33:40. > :33:44.Just a ago was urging the Government that we need to learn from the

:33:45. > :33:49.experience in Wales. So what has happened in Wales, the honotrable

:33:50. > :33:52.gentleman in his opening sahd new duties must bring new money. And he

:33:53. > :33:59.is right. And that is what has happened in Wales. They havd

:34:00. > :34:04.introduced very similar provisions, making sure that single hpz people

:34:05. > :34:09.get the support they need as well. -- single homeless people. They have

:34:10. > :34:14.also introduced a specific pot of money, for example this year local

:34:15. > :34:20.authorities in Wales were ghven ?4.9 million and as a result of having

:34:21. > :34:25.legislative reform and monex to go with that reform, we are seding that

:34:26. > :34:31.this has started to have a real impact on people's lives and it

:34:32. > :34:35.bringing down the number of those who find themselves homeless. Yes.

:34:36. > :34:41.Grateful to my honourable friend for giving way. In the area of Red

:34:42. > :34:45.Bridge the cost of temporarx accommodation has risen by ?5

:34:46. > :34:50.million and some of welcome measures in this bill might place an

:34:51. > :34:59.additional burden on our cotncil of an additional ?5 million. So I

:35:00. > :35:05.support the point, the new duties are welcome but they must bd costed.

:35:06. > :35:08.And we all know that in our own areas that homelessness is `

:35:09. > :35:14.problem, but I have to say hn London the scale of the problem is of a

:35:15. > :35:18.totally different magnitude and we can't you know when we are thinking

:35:19. > :35:25.about this bill, we have to make sure that London councils gdt the

:35:26. > :35:29.resources they need. If thex don't, Wolverhampton council, Birmhngham

:35:30. > :35:34.council, others are also gohng to be affected, because what happdns when

:35:35. > :35:39.people are found to be homeless they're forced out of area to areas

:35:40. > :35:48.where housing is cheaper. Wd need to give attention to London. I'm not a

:35:49. > :35:52.London-centric MP. It is not a. . I'm not being purely selfish about

:35:53. > :35:57.this, but it is a problem for London and that problem becomes a problem

:35:58. > :36:03.for other parts of country `nd I hope the minister will refldct on

:36:04. > :36:09.that when he does bring forward the money resolution to the House. That

:36:10. > :36:13.was my third and final point, that councils need extra resourcds. Many

:36:14. > :36:16.councils are already trying to do this preventative work and xou know

:36:17. > :36:22.the honourable gentleman is right that is not the case in every part

:36:23. > :36:27.of country and we do need to engender that cultural shift. But

:36:28. > :36:33.many good councils are trying to do this work, but budgetary prdssures

:36:34. > :36:40.are stopping them doing mord. I no ethat in my own council in

:36:41. > :36:43.Wolverhampton, although thex prevent about 1,500 households becoling

:36:44. > :36:46.homeless each year through ` range of interventions, they're also

:36:47. > :36:51.telling me there is a rise hn homelessness, but they're not

:36:52. > :36:59.getting any extra budget to help them with tackling that risd. And

:37:00. > :37:02.this is is my final point. Within that money and extra resource, we

:37:03. > :37:07.have to do something about the private rented sector. The

:37:08. > :37:13.honourable gentleman the ch`irman of select committee has alreadx pointed

:37:14. > :37:18.out that 40% and growing of the number of people who find themselves

:37:19. > :37:23.homeless is due to eviction from the private rented sector. And when I

:37:24. > :37:26.was shadow housing minister we had a very ambitious programme to better

:37:27. > :37:31.regulate the private rented sector and I know in Wolverhampton that

:37:32. > :37:38.they would like more power to regulate the private sector and to

:37:39. > :37:42.support good landlords, but to make sure that those who have properties

:37:43. > :37:46.in poor condition are also forced out of the market. So I support the

:37:47. > :37:51.bill that the honourable gentleman has brought to the House, btt in

:37:52. > :37:58.order for the paper and the legislation to mean anything, it has

:37:59. > :38:04.to be supported by resources. Can you please, this bill is too

:38:05. > :38:08.serious, I want to make surd everyone gets, but that everyone

:38:09. > :38:13.gets a fair chance. We take our homes for granted and mj not having

:38:14. > :38:17.one -- imagine not having one. I can't imagine that. Or the hnner

:38:18. > :38:21.strength that is needed to keep going when systems work agahnst you

:38:22. > :38:26.as though they're designed to keep you from having a roof abovd your

:38:27. > :38:30.head. That is why I'm supposing this bill today. I entered polithcs to

:38:31. > :38:40.create opportunities and offer chances. No bill is more fitting

:38:41. > :38:44.than this. It is what we should be doing, helping the most vulnerable.

:38:45. > :38:47.Homelessness can happen to `nyone. I have seen this with my constituents.

:38:48. > :38:52.None of us have a special ilmunity to it. Being homeless is not a

:38:53. > :38:57.choice, it is a collision of several issues at one time. That affect

:38:58. > :39:03.people from all walks of life. But we have a choice to help support

:39:04. > :39:07.those that need our help. So I congratulate my right honourable

:39:08. > :39:12.friend for if work he has done on this bill which will transform lives

:39:13. > :39:17.in my constituency, his constituency and the country. There are lany

:39:18. > :39:22.common-sense measures in thd bill that seek to prevent homelessness

:39:23. > :39:26.and try to address the fact that some of our processes exaspdrate the

:39:27. > :39:30.situation. In Wiltshire we have a double whammy disadvantage. Because

:39:31. > :39:37.homelessness is often hidden. The official figures is low, but the

:39:38. > :39:42.reality is a lot higher. Thhs means local charts struggle -- ch`rities

:39:43. > :39:52.struggle to bid for grants. Many measures including extending the

:39:53. > :39:56.period and applicant is thrdatened with homelessness will prevdnt

:39:57. > :40:00.homelessness. I'm pleased to see the duty for the vulnerable and

:40:01. > :40:05.individuals wider support ndeds will be addressed. Under the relhef duty

:40:06. > :40:10.there will be better support for wider needs, where partnership

:40:11. > :40:14.working with bodies like thd NHS. This may have helped some pdople.

:40:15. > :40:17.One constituent came to me whose house had burned down and hd

:40:18. > :40:21.received post-traumatic strdss disorder. He was told he was unable

:40:22. > :40:27.to move into a different property, because he would have made himself

:40:28. > :40:34.intentionamly homeness. Another constituent had to live in ` space

:40:35. > :40:38.with open spaces, he was offered an urban property, refused it `nd was

:40:39. > :40:43.then declared he had no othdr options. Working with bodies like

:40:44. > :40:48.the NHS may have helped. Thdse are real people and real lives who need

:40:49. > :40:53.our support and need their circumstances reviewed in the

:40:54. > :40:58.context of their circumstances. In fact one of most significant aspects

:40:59. > :41:01.of this bill is that despitd retaining the protections under

:41:02. > :41:05.priority need, the bill will open up more support for other vulndrable

:41:06. > :41:14.homeless people to help thel secure accommodation. The relief dtty well

:41:15. > :41:20.mean all people who need will will bet -- who need will will gdt help.

:41:21. > :41:26.Council hands have been tied. It can be hit and miss as to whethdr you

:41:27. > :41:28.will get the help you need whether you're deemed priority need or not.

:41:29. > :41:40.That is simply not good enotgh. In exceptional and inspirathonal

:41:41. > :41:43.charity in my constituency, and the chief executive said that this Bill

:41:44. > :41:47.has the potential to signifhcantly improve the system and local lives.

:41:48. > :41:51.It will free up more time for them to offer support to people, because

:41:52. > :41:56.they will not have to be fighting for those who are viewed as just

:41:57. > :41:58.vulnerable and not priority. Expanding the support peopld get

:41:59. > :42:02.beyond priority need will ensure that rough sleepers have a better

:42:03. > :42:08.chance of getting accommodation before they develop drug and alcohol

:42:09. > :42:14.conditions. Since most newlx homeless people don't have complex

:42:15. > :42:17.needs, of this nature, this stops the system from exaggerating it We

:42:18. > :42:21.are currently waiting for them to become worse to reduce their

:42:22. > :42:26.chances, increasing the cost in the long run, and making it difficult to

:42:27. > :42:29.place them. Some critics of this Bill has suggested it will not fix

:42:30. > :42:33.the problems of homelessness because the root causes are the lack of

:42:34. > :42:38.affordable homes. Whilst thdre does need to be one Housing built, and we

:42:39. > :42:43.are addressing this, this criticism fails to recognise the flaws in our

:42:44. > :42:49.current homelessness legisl`tion, and this bill can help prevdnt that.

:42:50. > :42:53.This Bill will particularly help young people, by ensuring that young

:42:54. > :42:57.people leaving care have a local connection to the local authority

:42:58. > :43:03.that was providing that card, and therefore, would be housed locally.

:43:04. > :43:06.I recently visited a home in Chippenham where I discussed with

:43:07. > :43:11.young people the impact of being housed locally, and it is qtite

:43:12. > :43:14.astonishing. This is truly ` historic opportunity to improve the

:43:15. > :43:18.system, to support and addrdss homelessness. This Bill will help

:43:19. > :43:22.increase the support for holeless people in Wiltshire and makd the hit

:43:23. > :43:27.and miss approach which depdnds on whether you are deemed priority need

:43:28. > :43:30.not a thing of the past. It will create a universal approach and

:43:31. > :43:35.create a universal standard, so ironic as the term may be, ht would

:43:36. > :43:41.remove the postcode lottery service that people received in the UK.

:43:42. > :43:45.Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Like many others here, I welcome and

:43:46. > :43:48.support the bill, which enshrined into legislation the principle that

:43:49. > :43:54.prevention is better than ctre, and I think this principle should drive

:43:55. > :44:01.reform across our public services, whether in the NHS, early ydars

:44:02. > :44:04.reducing crime, and reoffending Because prevention gets better

:44:05. > :44:07.results for people and bettdr value for taxpayers' money. I wanted

:44:08. > :44:12.briefly talk about what is happening in my own city, and the excdllent

:44:13. > :44:19.work that Leicester City Cotncil is doing to try and prevent people from

:44:20. > :44:23.becoming homeless. This is ` huge and uphill task. Weaker onlx have

:44:24. > :44:29.11,200 households on our hotsing register. That is up 18% ovdr the

:44:30. > :44:34.last year. But many others, we have seen a big rise in the numbdr of

:44:35. > :44:39.rough sleepers too. The number of families in Leicester who are

:44:40. > :44:44.seeking help because they are at risk of homelessness is up 25% in

:44:45. > :44:48.the last 12 months alone to just over 1208 year, and the number of

:44:49. > :44:52.single people and couples whthout children seeking help because they

:44:53. > :44:59.are a risk of being homeless is up a staggering 39%. As many honourable

:45:00. > :45:03.members have said, there ard many and complex reasons why people are

:45:04. > :45:08.at risk of being homeless, `nd many people may be fleeing from domestic

:45:09. > :45:12.violence, there may be other family relationship breakdown, but in my

:45:13. > :45:17.city, the council tells me the main reason the recent increase hs due to

:45:18. > :45:22.people being evicted from private rented housing. I have seen many

:45:23. > :45:26.cases are my own constituency. That is either because they cannot afford

:45:27. > :45:30.to pay the huge rent increases, or because the landlord has decided to

:45:31. > :45:33.sell, and they want to echo the comments made by my honourable

:45:34. > :45:36.friend, the member for Sheffield South East, who said one of the

:45:37. > :45:41.reasons why many landlords `re selling up is because the housing

:45:42. > :45:47.allowance has been frozen shnce 2014 and it is not keeping up with market

:45:48. > :45:51.rents. Despite these huge increases in demand of the challenges by City

:45:52. > :45:56.Council faces, the numbers of people who actually end up being placed in

:45:57. > :46:01.temporary accommodation has remained roughly stable over the last two

:46:02. > :46:04.years at around 1000 a year, and that is because of all the hard work

:46:05. > :46:08.that the council is doing on prevention. They help peopld to

:46:09. > :46:13.solve their housing benefit problems, to deal with rent arrears,

:46:14. > :46:18.offering debt advice and legal advocacy for people in the private

:46:19. > :46:21.rented sector, and offers a mediation and conciliation service

:46:22. > :46:26.if there has been a breakdown in the relationship between friends and

:46:27. > :46:29.family. We also working really hard with other agencies to tackle people

:46:30. > :46:36.who face repeat homelessness, working in particular the NHS. But

:46:37. > :46:40.there is a cost to providing this help and advice, and I am vdry

:46:41. > :46:46.concerned that the huge cuts to local council budgets could put this

:46:47. > :46:47.work at risk, which would m`ke no sense, because preventing

:46:48. > :46:53.homelessness is so much better for the families involved, for their

:46:54. > :46:57.children, who can stay in a safe and secure home, do their homework, and

:46:58. > :47:02.the parents can go to work, and it saves money for the council and the

:47:03. > :47:06.NHS, because we know that homelessness increases ment`l and

:47:07. > :47:09.physical health problems. So the government must fund the provisions

:47:10. > :47:13.in this Bill. I really welcome the fact that the honourable melber for

:47:14. > :47:16.Harrow East recognises this must be part of a much wider strategy to

:47:17. > :47:23.deal with the appalling lack of housing in this country, especially

:47:24. > :47:27.the need for more affordabld and social housing. I have one puestion

:47:28. > :47:32.in particular for the minister. Please, drop the proposal to include

:47:33. > :47:36.supportive housing in the local housing cap. This would havd a

:47:37. > :47:40.devastating effect on precisely the sort of services, like hostdls,

:47:41. > :47:46.which my constituents need hf they do eventually end up being homeless.

:47:47. > :47:50.But overall, Mr Deputy Speaker, I think this is an important step

:47:51. > :47:55.forward. Religion is better than cure, so I welcome and support this

:47:56. > :47:57.bill. May I begin by extending my

:47:58. > :48:01.congratulations to the honotrable member for Harrow East for tsing his

:48:02. > :48:04.place to introduce a Bill of such an important area, and I am delighted

:48:05. > :48:11.that has achieved government support. I would also like to place

:48:12. > :48:15.on record my thanks to Crishs and Saint Mungo's, and I know a little

:48:16. > :48:21.about Crisis, because my mother volunteered with them over Christmas

:48:22. > :48:24.last year and one of their London centres, and experience she would

:48:25. > :48:27.thoroughly recommend. I havd had a huge number of letters and d-mails

:48:28. > :48:31.from constituents asking me to be here today, but one letter which

:48:32. > :48:37.particularly stood out came from one of my constituents, Nathan Lay, aged

:48:38. > :48:40.12, he explained to me that he had been helping out with a number of

:48:41. > :48:43.local homelessness outreach projects through his church, and he said that

:48:44. > :48:48.having seen homeless people sleeping rough in all weathers, which was so

:48:49. > :48:51.upsetting for him, that thex had nowhere to go in the cold and the

:48:52. > :48:56.wet, he could not understand why this was in 2016, and we urgently

:48:57. > :49:01.need to do something. Well, Nathan, I hope with all my colleaguds here

:49:02. > :49:05.today, we are doing something with the passage of this bill. What ended

:49:06. > :49:10.the problem, but taking an hmportant first step on the road to do so two

:49:11. > :49:15.and misery of homelessness, which is either the cause or a contrhbutory

:49:16. > :49:20.factor in so many social problems, from family breakdown, to mdntal

:49:21. > :49:23.illness, to alcohol and substance misuse, children unable to fulfil

:49:24. > :49:28.their potential because thex do not have a stable home Ireland. I want

:49:29. > :49:31.to start by speaking a little about homelessness in Kingston. When you

:49:32. > :49:36.think of Kingston, you prob`bly think of a the borough next to

:49:37. > :49:40.Richmond. I figured there would think that is what Lord Prescott

:49:41. > :49:44.said when he said at that dhspatch box in 1998 and change the funding

:49:45. > :49:47.for places like Kingston in a very negative way. But to do that would

:49:48. > :49:50.be to look at the average prosperity in my borough, which masks some

:49:51. > :50:00.areas of real social depriv`tion that all the problems of anx urban

:50:01. > :50:03.constituency has. The probldm I am most often contacted about hs street

:50:04. > :50:07.homelessness, people who ard begging, sleeping rough strdet

:50:08. > :50:10.drinking during the day. Th`t is not something we should see anywhere in

:50:11. > :50:13.21st-century Britain, but in fact, it is only a very small proportion

:50:14. > :50:18.of the overall homelessness problem in Kingston. It is a problel I am

:50:19. > :50:24.determined to tackle in my time as an MP, and I am aware that the Right

:50:25. > :50:27.Honourable member for Tatton announced a sizeable homelessness

:50:28. > :50:30.funding his last budget, and in his wind-up, I would ask my honourable

:50:31. > :50:35.friend the minister to update the house now that fund may be `ccessed

:50:36. > :50:39.so that projects like a wet shelter for people who do have drink and

:50:40. > :50:46.drug problems in laces like Kingston can be built and operated. ,- places

:50:47. > :50:49.like Kingston. Many of my constituents are clear that one

:50:50. > :50:56.person sleeping rough in Kingston is one person to many. In terms of

:50:57. > :50:58.scale, the far bigger probldm is what you might call technic`l

:50:59. > :51:03.homelessness, and what this bill addresses today. I have brotght with

:51:04. > :51:07.me 5000 pieces of constituency casework since I was elected, and

:51:08. > :51:11.40% of those related housing homelessness. Typically, thhs is a

:51:12. > :51:15.family living in a flat in the private rental sector. The landlord

:51:16. > :51:17.seeks to increase the rent beyond what they can afford, or more

:51:18. > :51:21.commonly serves them with an eviction notice because he wants to

:51:22. > :51:25.renovate or sell the property. The family wants to stay in the area,

:51:26. > :51:28.and their children go to st`te their worst school in the area, they work

:51:29. > :51:32.in the area, but they cannot afford anything else in the privatd rented

:51:33. > :51:39.sector. So they become homeless and are put into the care of thd local

:51:40. > :51:41.authority. The next step is temporary accommodation, but

:51:42. > :51:45.unfortunately, for many people in Kingston, that is not in Kingston,

:51:46. > :51:51.was in Ealing, Hounslow or Croydon, meaning their children have to be

:51:52. > :51:55.transported on a two hour round everyday to school. They have the

:51:56. > :51:58.same trip to their jobs, and it is very disruptive. I find these cases

:51:59. > :52:03.some of the most sad to deal with as an MP. I know I could say I will

:52:04. > :52:07.write to the head of the hotsing bureau, and I know what thex will

:52:08. > :52:11.say. There are 173 other falilies in that situation who have been in that

:52:12. > :52:15.situation longer than you, so unfortunately, you will havd to

:52:16. > :52:18.wait. We like to help, but we don't have any more temporary

:52:19. > :52:22.accommodation in Kingston. The housing waiting list in Kingston

:52:23. > :52:27.stands at over 9000, and sole people have been on it for over a decade.

:52:28. > :52:31.The straightforward answer lay be to build more homes, but even before

:52:32. > :52:34.you take into account the hhgh land values in somewhere like Kingston,

:52:35. > :52:39.where are we going to find the space to build 9000 units? The

:52:40. > :52:42.Conservative council in Kingston is currently working on a plan with

:52:43. > :52:47.funding from the last mayor`l and in to rebuild and increase the density

:52:48. > :52:50.of the Cambridge Road Estatd, but even if that project takes place,

:52:51. > :52:56.and others they are looking at, this will not solve the problem, because

:52:57. > :53:00.house prices, and therefore rents, in Kingston, going up sharply, and

:53:01. > :53:05.more and more people are gohng to find they cannot afford thehr rent.

:53:06. > :53:08.And so, for that reason, I `m very pleased that my honourable friend,

:53:09. > :53:13.the member for Croydon Central, who no doubt has no problems in his

:53:14. > :53:17.area, is refocusing in realhgning the focus of his department from

:53:18. > :53:21.buying to renting, and I am pleased that this bill includes a ntmber of

:53:22. > :53:28.robust measures that will hdlp solve the problem. I want to touch briefly

:53:29. > :53:33.on funding, because it will be remiss of me not to say that my

:53:34. > :53:38.borough's head of housing, Darren Welsh, a man not prone to

:53:39. > :53:41.exaggeration, says that if this bill does not come with addition`l

:53:42. > :53:46.funding, he estimates there will be a shortfall in Kingston of ?500 000

:53:47. > :53:49.a year. In ending, I would like to thank the excellent charitids in

:53:50. > :53:57.Kingston that do so much to support homelessness. Without them, we would

:53:58. > :54:02.be nowhere, and to list a vhew, the YMCA, the South-west London Law

:54:03. > :54:07.Centre, Kingston Churches Action On Homelessness,, the project `t Saint

:54:08. > :54:12.Peters Church, and the church providing night shelters. I am

:54:13. > :54:14.genuinely grateful, as I know are all Kingston residents, to those

:54:15. > :54:18.organisations and the volunteers that support and a in, day out, for

:54:19. > :54:22.all the work they do. Their work will be supported by the government

:54:23. > :54:25.today in this bill. I thank the government is supporting thhs bill,

:54:26. > :54:29.and for all the honourable lembers who have come to support it today.

:54:30. > :54:32.I give a much. First, I would like to thank the honourable member for

:54:33. > :54:38.Harrow East for bringing thhs important bill to the house, and for

:54:39. > :54:43.the important work he has done with Crisis and others. I also thank him

:54:44. > :54:47.for his generosity for allowing me to put my name forward for this bill

:54:48. > :54:52.for the select committee. Jtdging by the shenanigans last Friday, may be

:54:53. > :54:55.the only opportunity for thd SNP to get their name on a bill in this

:54:56. > :55:01.Parliament. I'm grateful for them allowing me to do so. We have talked

:55:02. > :55:05.a lot about evidence from W`les and other places, wanted I want to just

:55:06. > :55:10.stop imagining some of the work that has been done in Scotland over the

:55:11. > :55:14.past ten years. We have dond a number of things, including

:55:15. > :55:17.abolishing priority need. Wd decided at that stage we would abolhsh

:55:18. > :55:21.priority need, and we work to do that with local councils to make

:55:22. > :55:25.that happen. That has a poshtive effect on levels of homelessness in

:55:26. > :55:36.Scotland as well. In contrast to the rising figures in England goal , we

:55:37. > :55:46.saw a decrease in applications and assessments, and rural, frol 20 8

:55:47. > :55:51.until 2016, 80 a deep creasd in assessments. Those are signhficant

:55:52. > :55:58.numbers, particularly when xou look at the figures in England. The

:55:59. > :56:02.evidence the CLT select comlittee held in the enquiry recentlx was

:56:03. > :56:05.shocking and compelling. Thd impact of homelessness and the lack of a

:56:06. > :56:11.safe roof over your head can be absolutely devastating, and as a

:56:12. > :56:14.former councillor in Glasgow, I know many organisations and their staff

:56:15. > :56:18.are working hard every single day to try and make sure that people are

:56:19. > :56:23.prevented from becoming homdless in the first place, and assistdd when

:56:24. > :56:26.they are at that point of nded. But there are still too many people

:56:27. > :56:30.sleeping homeless in the streets of Glasgow, despite initiatives like

:56:31. > :56:40.Night Shelter, more needs to be done. There are homeless people s

:56:41. > :56:43.writes hubs, which have the support of the council, and through people

:56:44. > :56:47.that have engaged with thosd hubs, 90% of people have been abld to be

:56:48. > :56:51.accommodated, and 250 peopld have seen an increase in income `s a

:56:52. > :56:54.result of attending, which hs really important, and for homeless Scots

:56:55. > :56:57.who find themselves in London, as some do, and they spoke to ` young

:56:58. > :57:02.man a few weeks ago proved found himself in London, their

:57:03. > :57:05.organisations who work very hard to make sure that people in London who

:57:06. > :57:08.have come from Scotland are looked after as well.

:57:09. > :57:15.The bill has been mentioned putting forward improvements in English

:57:16. > :57:21.homelessness legislation. I'm glad to see the stress put on prdvention

:57:22. > :57:25.and on relief duties, as well as strengthening advice duties. I hope

:57:26. > :57:31.this will extend to funding these initiatives and it would be

:57:32. > :57:33.interested to find out if there are particular Barnet consequences,

:57:34. > :57:38.because we could use that money in Scotland and perhaps the minister

:57:39. > :57:42.can confirm that by the end of the afternoon. I would like to touch on

:57:43. > :57:47.the issues that still require to be addressed before homelessness can be

:57:48. > :57:52.seen to be reduced. The bill makes a valuable contribution to thd debate,

:57:53. > :57:58.building on the evidence from Wales, we are lacking still a lack... Of

:57:59. > :58:03.action on the fundamental c`uses of homelessness and the lack of

:58:04. > :58:07.affordable housing. The member acknowledged we need to increase

:58:08. > :58:14.supply and that is important in Scotland we are able to havd this...

:58:15. > :58:21.The change to the duty of priority need, because we are building

:58:22. > :58:27.affordable homes from 2011 to 1 we build 33,000 homes, including many

:58:28. > :58:33.for social rent and in the xears up to 2021, we hope to build 50,00

:58:34. > :58:37.more for sale and social rent. We have abolished the right to buy so

:58:38. > :58:41.those houses are kept in thd local authority's pool and they'rd

:58:42. > :58:47.available to people, becausd private lets are too expensive for so many

:58:48. > :58:51.people. In their submission to members, Shelter have said, the

:58:52. > :58:56.mismatch between the theory and practice of hpzness law will --

:58:57. > :59:01.homelessness law will only deepen if the change is not accompanidd by the

:59:02. > :59:05.change to availability of stitable accommodation, without this, we will

:59:06. > :59:11.set up this bill to fail and I'm sure none of us wish to see that.

:59:12. > :59:16.The mention from Sheffield lentioned the evidence given by young people

:59:17. > :59:23.that had experienced hpzness and all -- homelessness and the people who

:59:24. > :59:27.gave evidence bravely all s`id that the priority should be to btild more

:59:28. > :59:32.council housing and to make private lets more affordable. I don't think

:59:33. > :59:36.the Government has done enotgh in regulating private lets, because

:59:37. > :59:41.they're the real burden on the benefits budget. We need to look at

:59:42. > :59:46.the structural drivers of homelessness around the end of a

:59:47. > :59:50.tenancy and the affordability of social rent and private rent and

:59:51. > :59:56.look again, as Scotland has done, at the right to buy. Shelter are

:59:57. > :00:01.stressing this in high valud areas that are a pinch point for housing

:00:02. > :00:07.need. I would like to highlhght the end, call for the end of thd housing

:00:08. > :00:13.benefit cap that Shelter have also asked the Government to look at

:00:14. > :00:18.Mary Taylor from the Scottish Federation of Housing Assochations

:00:19. > :00:23.believes the cap is the potdntial to be more significant than thd bedroom

:00:24. > :00:27.tax on housing. I would ask the Government to restore as thd

:00:28. > :00:36.Scottish Government is and lany people have mentioned impact of

:00:37. > :00:41.homelessness on young peopld in particular. The Scottish has

:00:42. > :00:45.reversed that and we call on the government here to do that. It is

:00:46. > :00:50.clear young people are being un-Farley left out and

:00:51. > :00:57.disproportionately affected. I would call for the government to lake sure

:00:58. > :01:01.that the availability of supported accommodation is continued. All this

:01:02. > :01:07.does not find itself losing out from the proposals around the cap. A lot

:01:08. > :01:15.of these organisations, the member for Rochester mentioned an `rea I

:01:16. > :01:21.visited, Blue Triangle that work with young people, they're laking an

:01:22. > :01:24.intervention that can prevent young people getting homeless agahn and

:01:25. > :01:31.ensure they will work for them as long as necessary to end thd cycle

:01:32. > :01:36.of homelessness. Women's services around coming out of prison and

:01:37. > :01:41.domestic violence. Women ard putting themselves at risk to avoid being on

:01:42. > :01:45.the streets and sharing with people who it is unsafe for them to do so

:01:46. > :01:52.and we need too consider th`t carefully. The member mentioned the

:01:53. > :01:56.Home Office policy and forcdd destitution and we need to consider

:01:57. > :01:59.that. Many of the people sldeping rough have nowhere else to go,

:02:00. > :02:06.because they have no access to public funds. And they're rdlying on

:02:07. > :02:13.volunteers to do that. I should state the bill is a great start but

:02:14. > :02:17.a lot more need to be done. It is a pleasure to follow the membdr for

:02:18. > :02:22.Glasgow central, who has provide us with a Scottish perspective. I rise

:02:23. > :02:28.to support this bill and congratulate my friend the lember

:02:29. > :02:37.for Harrow East and pay tribute to the DCLG select committee for the

:02:38. > :02:42.support and pref legislativd scrutiny. I serve on the all party

:02:43. > :02:46.group for ending homelessness and I would like to, I couldn't ldt this

:02:47. > :02:54.debate go past without paying tribute to the charities in the UK,

:02:55. > :03:00.in particular in Colchester beacon House and the churches which run

:03:01. > :03:07.soup kitchens and the pop up shelters at winter. Now, I'l

:03:08. > :03:13.conscious a lot of members would like to get in, I would likd to

:03:14. > :03:17.focus on one area. I have long had concerns about how our local

:03:18. > :03:20.authorities define homelessness and those making themselves

:03:21. > :03:24.intentionally homeless and H have concerns that local authorities are

:03:25. > :03:30.not tackle homelessness at the earliest possible point. I would

:03:31. > :03:35.like too see a greater emph`sis on prevention and this bill shhfts the

:03:36. > :03:40.emphasis on this. We have sden all of us the briefings sent out by the

:03:41. > :03:44.Local Government Association. Where they say, councils want to dnd

:03:45. > :03:48.homelessness and are doing everything they can to prevdnt and

:03:49. > :03:53.tackle it. And with the gre`test of respect, I would very much puestion

:03:54. > :03:58.that. As my honourable friend who is no longer in his place said, there

:03:59. > :04:01.are local authorities that do take their responsibilities seriously,

:04:02. > :04:10.but sadly there are some th`t simply do not. And I have raised mx

:04:11. > :04:13.concerns about Colchester council telling people to stay in their

:04:14. > :04:19.properties until the bailiffs evict them. They have famed to address the

:04:20. > :04:27.need for temporary accommod`tion. -- failed to address. Despite running a

:04:28. > :04:30.surplus, they're still sendhng people to temporary accommodation 20

:04:31. > :04:36.miles away. It is not acceptable. So if I could give about example, of a

:04:37. > :04:41.family that have done the rhght things, but struggled to pax their

:04:42. > :04:47.rent in a private rented sectorment they go to the council for help

:04:48. > :04:51.Their landlords serves a section 21 notice and the council advice them

:04:52. > :04:59.to stay until the point thex get evicted. Because they say that they

:05:00. > :05:02.are going to make themselves voluntarily homeness and wotld lose

:05:03. > :05:06.rights to support. I thought that can't be right. How could wd advice

:05:07. > :05:11.people to put themselves into an adverse position? I wrote to the

:05:12. > :05:16.minister, the member for Nuneaton, I hope you will forgive me for quoting

:05:17. > :05:24.what he said, we have been clear that authorities should takd every

:05:25. > :05:29.opportunity to prevent homeless and not insists that tenants waht for

:05:30. > :05:32.bailiffs. This is poor practice and leads to further problems. The

:05:33. > :05:39.minister wrote to all authorities in February of this year, and he made

:05:40. > :05:43.clear that to operate in thhs way contravenes statutory guidance and

:05:44. > :05:47.local authorities should not place households in this position. The

:05:48. > :05:54.letter made clear it is no longer reasonable for a household to remain

:05:55. > :05:58.in property once a valid section 20 eviction notice expires, le`ving

:05:59. > :06:03.under these circumstances does not make them intentionally homdless.

:06:04. > :06:07.Why is this termible advice still -- terrible advice still being given

:06:08. > :06:10.and I'm having people coming to my surgeries week after week s`ying

:06:11. > :06:17.that councils are giving thdm this terrible advice? I speak as a former

:06:18. > :06:22.property solicitor, if I had give than advice so adverse to mx

:06:23. > :06:25.clients, I would consider mxself to have been negligent, but our

:06:26. > :06:30.councils are giving this out advice out. It is bad and potentially

:06:31. > :06:35.unlawful and it must stop. There are a number of reasons why, it pushes

:06:36. > :06:39.families into crisis and coles with huge social cost. Telling a family

:06:40. > :06:44.to wait until a bailiff evicts them and their children seeing them be

:06:45. > :06:49.force out of their home when they did the right thing in approaching

:06:50. > :06:56.the council leads to considdrable debt and CCJs and even in the future

:06:57. > :07:00.so when the council says we have no social housing available, what

:07:01. > :07:04.landlord will take them? Who will take them because they have a CCJ

:07:05. > :07:07.and no references other than saying they sat in our property, dhdn't pay

:07:08. > :07:14.their rent on the the advicd of the council. So they have no savings and

:07:15. > :07:19.no deposit and more over, what is it saying to private sector landlords

:07:20. > :07:22.that the council is telling their tenants to stay in the propdrties

:07:23. > :07:27.and wait until they're evicted and The To go through the costs of -

:07:28. > :07:31.they have through the costs of not paying rent and these peopld have

:07:32. > :07:36.mortgaging too. But they have also got bailiff and court fees to pay.

:07:37. > :07:42.There is reputational damagd. I would be delighted to. Thank you. In

:07:43. > :07:47.the first hundred days of bding an MP I have heard from one falily

:07:48. > :07:51.every four Kays that they'rd -- days that they're facing homelessness and

:07:52. > :07:59.they're deemed to be not vulnerable enough. I have heard from 300

:08:00. > :08:06.constituents who have e-mailed and asked how is a family not vtlnerable

:08:07. > :08:12.enough when they're having to resort to sleeping on the streets. We have

:08:13. > :08:17.all heard this is an issue that needs to be addressed. She lakes a

:08:18. > :08:22.powerful point that I know dvery member will have experienced and why

:08:23. > :08:26.it is so important that this bill enters the statute book. But the key

:08:27. > :08:30.point is that all of those social costs that I mentioned, all the

:08:31. > :08:35.negative costs and adverse `dvice that is being put on our

:08:36. > :08:40.constituents costs the council more to sit and wait three to six months,

:08:41. > :08:45.because they then have to ptt them into temporary accomodation and

:08:46. > :08:49.can't find or can't get thel into private accommodation, becatse it is

:08:50. > :08:54.not possible because of the CCJs and no landlord will take them. By

:08:55. > :09:00.acting at the point they cale rightly anded is for that hdlp, it

:09:01. > :09:06.would have saved the council money. Councils acting like Colchester does

:09:07. > :09:11.is acting negligently and they're giving terrible advice against

:09:12. > :09:15.Government guidance and in the interests of time I would lhke to

:09:16. > :09:21.conclude by saying I support this bill in particular because of that

:09:22. > :09:25.amendment to the definition of homelessness to apply to

:09:26. > :09:28.householding with a notice `nd also that strengthened the advicd and

:09:29. > :09:33.information including a personal plan. So every single familx that

:09:34. > :09:38.come forward has to be assessed and looked after on an individu`l basis

:09:39. > :09:45.aye urge all -- and I urge `ll colleagues to support this bill I'm

:09:46. > :09:57.delighted to speak today. I won t stand here and pretend this bill

:09:58. > :10:04.will l solve the homelessness problem. My constituency of West Ham

:10:05. > :10:10.is in the the area of Newhal and we like other areas are bearing the

:10:11. > :10:13.brunt of this housing crisis. An average family in Newham looking for

:10:14. > :10:22.a home cannot think about btying one. Because the average prhce is

:10:23. > :10:30.?350,000. Which is simply ott of reach for all but the few. The

:10:31. > :10:35.majority seeking a home, who want to enter social housing with affordable

:10:36. > :10:41.rent and secure tenancies, because families in private accomod`tion are

:10:42. > :10:49.often having to move yearly. There is a waiting list of 16,000

:10:50. > :10:54.households. As a result manx tenants, many families have no

:10:55. > :10:58.choice, but to look at homes in the private rental sector. If they were

:10:59. > :11:04.affordable that wouldn't be so bad, but they simply are not. According

:11:05. > :11:11.to the valuation agency the current median rent on a three bedroomed

:11:12. > :11:17.property in the private sector in Newham is ?1,600 per month. Detailed

:11:18. > :11:35.research from the council shows that the medium household nm in the area

:11:36. > :11:42.is 18,604. That is ?1 1.550 a month. The average rent is higher than the

:11:43. > :11:48.average after tax income. It is truly a disastrous situation. With

:11:49. > :11:52.such an acute housing crisis it is no wonder the council has to deal

:11:53. > :12:02.with a huge amount of cases where residents are threatened with

:12:03. > :12:06.homelessness. They received over 2,000 homelessness applicathons

:12:07. > :12:16.compared that do Ribble Valley which received just seven.

:12:17. > :12:22.The proportion of homes thex accept as homeless is five times hhgher

:12:23. > :12:33.than the English average. I think that's striking. Newham Council face

:12:34. > :12:38.an uneve viable task, huge workload and shrinking resources. We also

:12:39. > :12:42.have great charities - they provide temporary accommodation and support

:12:43. > :12:47.for our homeless community, who are trying to get off the street. And

:12:48. > :12:50.stay off the street. This ydar they supported 37 residents into

:12:51. > :12:55.full-time employment and 84 residents into independent living.

:12:56. > :12:59.It's not just a shelter, it's a source of community support, with

:13:00. > :13:06.high-quality professionals. It provides hope for those who are

:13:07. > :13:11.desperately needing it. I thank my honourable friend for giving way,

:13:12. > :13:14.for making a very powerful speech. My borough of Hounslow is stffering

:13:15. > :13:18.in similar ways from the thousands op the waiting list and those

:13:19. > :13:23.becoming homeless. I have also been struck from schools when I have been

:13:24. > :13:26.talking about, asking them what is impacting underachievement `nd

:13:27. > :13:31.attainment and repeatedly the issue of housing comes up, with

:13:32. > :13:36.uncertainty for children about where they are living, where they are

:13:37. > :13:41.going to living does she agree this is a false economy as well causing

:13:42. > :13:45.us long-term impact on our prosperity for the long-terl? I

:13:46. > :13:50.agree. I say many times I w`s privileged to live in a council flat

:13:51. > :13:55.in East London. It provided me with the security to learn and to do as

:13:56. > :14:02.well as I could. My little sister, who is no longer little, well, she's

:14:03. > :14:05.little, but no longer young, is doing well as a solicitor. @nd I

:14:06. > :14:11.stand in this House. We couldn't have done that without the security

:14:12. > :14:17.of a council property behind us This week, I have met some of the

:14:18. > :14:22.people living in Anchor House. I was impressed by their resilience and

:14:23. > :14:26.aspire raying. One woman entered Anchor House soon after being

:14:27. > :14:30.evicted following a mental breakdown and hospitalisation. She was on the

:14:31. > :14:35.streets for some time but found her way to the charity. She's training

:14:36. > :14:39.to be a youth worker and shd wants to take a degree to help her career.

:14:40. > :14:43.I met a man who decided that living on the streets was better than

:14:44. > :14:47.living at home because that was the only way he could free himsdlf from

:14:48. > :14:52.the company of family who wdre encouraging him to take drugs. He's

:14:53. > :14:57.now clean and training to bd a tunneler. So, Madam Deputy Speaker,

:14:58. > :15:01.these people were excited bx this bill. They thought that it would

:15:02. > :15:05.prevent other people from fhnding themselves in the same situ`tion.

:15:06. > :15:12.And I have to say it is bec`use of their hope that I am here to support

:15:13. > :15:16.this bill today. Because if the Government are not going to destroy

:15:17. > :15:23.their faith, I think there `re two things that need to be done. The

:15:24. > :15:31.first is, these duties on councils must come with upfront and realistic

:15:32. > :15:35.costs. There was a 26.5% increase in the households assessed for homeless

:15:36. > :15:39.innocence the first year after the new homelessness duties werd

:15:40. > :15:42.introduced by the Welsh Govdrnment, which was anticipate bedty Welsh

:15:43. > :15:49.Government and thankfully ftnding was provided to deal with it. We can

:15:50. > :15:53.only expect even greater increases in our workload in London, where the

:15:54. > :16:01.housing crisis is that much more acute. Boroughs like Newham will

:16:02. > :16:07.have to process 8, 781 applhcations a year as a result of clausd three

:16:08. > :16:11.in the bill. That must come with resources, proper resources.

:16:12. > :16:16.I no ethere'll be a money motion to go alongside this bill. The

:16:17. > :16:21.Government must provide a stfficient fund but based on need. The local

:16:22. > :16:26.authorities to deal with thd extra workload. It's no good giving areas

:16:27. > :16:32.that frankly don't have the need and don't have the concerns and don t

:16:33. > :16:37.have the workload, with mondy, to be fair and provide those of us who do

:16:38. > :16:41.have the workloads and the needs with less money than they nded. The

:16:42. > :16:45.Government should not be in a position where it is passing the

:16:46. > :16:51.buck without the bucks. And the Government also have to recognise

:16:52. > :16:55.that changing council duties can only be one small component in the

:16:56. > :16:59.fight to reduce homelessness. We need more homes to be made `vailable

:17:00. > :17:05.in every sector and services and support to deal with the colplex

:17:06. > :17:09.needs of those who have been driven to street homelessness, likd those

:17:10. > :17:13.that Anchor House provide. This Bill could be a step in the right

:17:14. > :17:19.direction, but it will only be so with appropriate Government support.

:17:20. > :17:26.THE SPEAKER: Before I call `nyone else to speak, it surely must be

:17:27. > :17:31.obvious that this is a bill that has support from all around the House.

:17:32. > :17:36.There's very little disagredment going on. There's very little

:17:37. > :17:42.argument between members. Therefore, I must urge membdrs to

:17:43. > :17:45.speak for fewer than five mhnutes. If everyone speaks, everyond who has

:17:46. > :17:50.indicated to me that they whsh to speak and who has just stood wishing

:17:51. > :17:54.to speak, speaks for as long as the average speech has been so far, this

:17:55. > :17:58.bill will not receive its sdcond reading because it will be talked

:17:59. > :18:04.out. The point is to make your issues in

:18:05. > :18:07.the House. Not keep on repe`ting what everyone else has said,

:18:08. > :18:14.therefore putting the bill hn danger. I emhour members to think

:18:15. > :18:18.not of their own press rele`ses or the pieces of paper they have in

:18:19. > :18:23.their hands, but of the point of getting the bill through. And I

:18:24. > :18:30.emmother members to think about other people as -- emplour lembers

:18:31. > :18:35.to think about other people. I shall do my best to comply with your

:18:36. > :18:39.urgent call. In fact, Madam Deputy Speaker, I had not intended to be

:18:40. > :18:43.here on what is usually a constituency dasmt I had not

:18:44. > :18:47.intended to speak and I wasn't convinced this bill would ddlive

:18:48. > :18:53.hear the member for harrow Dast intended. But I have changed my mind

:18:54. > :18:58.and I will explain why. Everybody here, every MP can relate to the

:18:59. > :19:03.point that my honourable frhend made earlier, especially the one both he

:19:04. > :19:08.and I paraphrase where someone about to be made homeless is greeted with

:19:09. > :19:14.the phrase, come back when the bailiffs arrive. I remember a

:19:15. > :19:18.resident raised this with md. And a housing officer explained the law

:19:19. > :19:24.didn't allow her to do what she might want to do and if it did how

:19:25. > :19:29.could the council afford it? Madam Deputy Speaker I don't recognise the

:19:30. > :19:36.description given earlier bx one member opposite, I think thd phrase

:19:37. > :19:42.came from Crisis. My experidnce is different from my honourabld friend

:19:43. > :19:46.for Colchester and one of the thing which has come out is different

:19:47. > :19:50.experiences of different cotncils. I think the housing team at Gloucester

:19:51. > :19:56.City Council is one of the hardest working and one of the most patient

:19:57. > :20:00.civil servants that I know. They deal with angry, tearful, frustrated

:20:01. > :20:02.individuals, who sometimes, I stress sometimes, have impossible

:20:03. > :20:06.expectations and they juggld a waiting list that will take years

:20:07. > :20:08.and years to resolve. As my honourable friend from harrow East

:20:09. > :20:13.has said, there'll be other changes by the department which will alter

:20:14. > :20:18.the supply of housing, not this bill. He's right that waiting for

:20:19. > :20:21.the bailiffs to arrive is not the way to prevent homelessness and

:20:22. > :20:25.therefore his aim to change this through this bill is a good cause

:20:26. > :20:30.and I join others in congratulating him on doing something about it Now

:20:31. > :20:34.my worry was that this bill would load considerable additional

:20:35. > :20:38.responsibilities on our councils, individual pathways for every

:20:39. > :20:41.potential homeless individu`l or family will need significant

:20:42. > :20:45.additional resources. Withott Government backing and funds I had

:20:46. > :20:49.real concerns, some of which the member for Ilford South raised with

:20:50. > :20:52.great indignity that the bill would add responsibilities without

:20:53. > :20:58.providing the resources to do it, what the honourable member for West

:20:59. > :21:04.Ham called passing the buck without the bucks. We don't know yet what it

:21:05. > :21:08.amounts to. The minister will enlighten us. It is crucial that the

:21:09. > :21:11.additional resources to makd this bill actually happen are kex to what

:21:12. > :21:15.we want to see. This will m`ke a real difference to all the faith

:21:16. > :21:20.groups and agencies in Gloucester who work so hard to help thd

:21:21. > :21:26.homeless. I am talking parthcularly of Gloucester City Mission `nd all

:21:27. > :21:29.those beside them in the George Whitfield Centre, which is laking

:21:30. > :21:34.the difference. At the same time there are two or three issuds which

:21:35. > :21:37.I like to raise and which I hope will be taken forward in thd bill

:21:38. > :21:43.committee. The first of these really is that

:21:44. > :21:46.the emergency accommodation often available in small cities lhke

:21:47. > :21:49.Gloucester are needed by those in trouble from the outlying rtral

:21:50. > :21:54.areas and this in turn impacts our ability to look after all of those

:21:55. > :21:58.who need help. So, the local connection provision in the bill

:21:59. > :22:02.does need looking at carefully. Not least for those leaving card. I

:22:03. > :22:07.think currently the local connection is under fined and I would dncourage

:22:08. > :22:12.my honourable friend to est`blish this at least for a minimum of one

:22:13. > :22:16.year. Likewise the duty to refer from other Government bodies needs

:22:17. > :22:22.more than a note saying, pldase give the bloke in a sleeping bag outside

:22:23. > :22:26.McDonald's a home. I have sden notes like that and the situations behind

:22:27. > :22:29.them are often completion and the individuals don't often comd from

:22:30. > :22:35.Gloucester or very close to us. So, that is an issue that I hopd will be

:22:36. > :22:40.tackled. When the bill is p`ssed, Madam Deputy Speaker, expectations

:22:41. > :22:45.will be raised immediately. It will take time for changes to happen Can

:22:46. > :22:50.I urge my honourable friend to look at timing for a period and to look

:22:51. > :22:54.at the housing provider's dtty so co-operation from them is more

:22:55. > :22:58.effective and perhaps the LGA can help. This easy are details. That is

:22:59. > :23:03.where the detail often lurks. This is an important bill. It is going to

:23:04. > :23:06.have complex and underlying issues which need to be resolved. H welcome

:23:07. > :23:11.what the honourable member hs doing and I look forward to hearing the

:23:12. > :23:18.Government's support for thhs bill. Thank you. Thank you. Let md start

:23:19. > :23:22.by thanking the member from harrow East for bringing this important

:23:23. > :23:25.bill and for raising awarendss of homelessness across the country over

:23:26. > :23:29.the last few months. For a number of years, I sat on the community in

:23:30. > :23:34.Local Government Select Comlittee with my honourable friend and know

:23:35. > :23:38.this issue is something that is taken very seriously and has now

:23:39. > :23:43.gained considerable knowledge of. Indeed his experience as a council

:23:44. > :23:46.and council leader gives hil a better understanding of homdlessness

:23:47. > :23:50.and the challenges it poses for communities. With this he h`s

:23:51. > :23:59.brought a good knowledge, which I think we should all reflect upon. I

:24:00. > :24:03.spent a lot of time focussing on homelessness as a social researchers

:24:04. > :24:07.and working at the big issud in the north for two years. During the time

:24:08. > :24:11.I worked with charities and local authorities. And so what worked and

:24:12. > :24:15.-- and saw what worked and what did not work. Some local authorhties

:24:16. > :24:20.went the extra mile to support homeless people. While others

:24:21. > :24:23.clearly failed. I hope this bill will encourage and enable local

:24:24. > :24:27.authorities to raise standards right across the board, right across all

:24:28. > :24:32.local authorities. In my own constituency I have seen

:24:33. > :24:38.first-hand the good work local people do to come battle

:24:39. > :24:41.homelessness. I am pleased Rochdale council have made preventing

:24:42. > :24:47.homelessness a priority. I commend the great work that charitids like

:24:48. > :24:52.Petrus are doing on a daily basis. Will my honourable friend ghve way?

:24:53. > :24:57.I will. Does he agree with le that additional funding must be lade

:24:58. > :25:01.available to help councils support the good intentions of, the very

:25:02. > :25:06.good intentions within this bill? Let me thank my friend for the

:25:07. > :25:09.intervention. Absolutely. This has to be resourced, I think th`t is the

:25:10. > :25:15.point being made. I am sure the Government minister will address

:25:16. > :25:21.that when he speaks. In the borough of Rochdale Petrus support ` drop-in

:25:22. > :25:25.centre to people experiencing homelessness and people who are at

:25:26. > :25:30.risk of homelessness and marginalisation. The support they

:25:31. > :25:35.give users is vital. The rotgh sleeping on the rise politicians at

:25:36. > :25:38.a national level must act immediately to help prevent

:25:39. > :25:41.homelessness. This bill will ensure fewer individuals slip throtgh the

:25:42. > :25:46.safety net and receive the support that they need before it is too

:25:47. > :25:49.late. Finally, Madam Deputy Speaker, let me make this point, there is no

:25:50. > :25:53.doubt that more must be dond to tackle the causes of homelessness.

:25:54. > :26:00.But this bill is a step in the right direction and I think it is

:26:01. > :26:06.imperative that we all support it. And I will endeavour to follow the

:26:07. > :26:11.model of my friends on the benches opposite. At the risk of repeating,

:26:12. > :26:14.I must first of all congrattlate the member for harrow East on bringing

:26:15. > :26:18.forward this essential bill to this place. Because I believe it is the

:26:19. > :26:22.most significant legislation on homelessness probably since the

:26:23. > :26:26.Housing Act in 1996 and I al pleased that Government is supporting it and

:26:27. > :26:31.I will be today. I will abandon all my notes. Probably much to the

:26:32. > :26:38.disappointment of the researchers in my office. A couple of points.

:26:39. > :26:50.I had the chance to visit a couple of organisation to focus on the

:26:51. > :26:54.homeless. Members in the north-east although this organisation. The

:26:55. > :26:59.other is Saint Georges crept in which the member for Shiplex

:27:00. > :27:04.referred to earlier. They are remarkable organisations ard doing

:27:05. > :27:08.terrific work and it was a wonderful opportunity to learn a little bit

:27:09. > :27:12.more about the issues around homelessness and the need for extra

:27:13. > :27:18.support and advice and I re`lly believe this bill will go a long way

:27:19. > :27:23.to tackling some of those issues those kinds of organisations seek to

:27:24. > :27:29.address. The other point I wanted to briefly make was my husband spent 12

:27:30. > :27:33.years serving in the Royal Navy and I am conscious of statistics we

:27:34. > :27:37.often hear about the high pdrcentage of ex-forces who find themsdlves

:27:38. > :27:43.homeless. I know a lot of work has got into reducing this and various

:27:44. > :27:47.charities like the Royal Brhtish Legion and Salvation Army and others

:27:48. > :27:51.do tremendous work but I am pleased to see references adhere to the

:27:52. > :27:58.Armed Forces, and that is another area we must continue to sedk

:27:59. > :28:03.further improvement in. I whll wrap up in just over two minutes so I do

:28:04. > :28:07.hope others will follow my dxample, just by saying I really do welcome

:28:08. > :28:11.the spell and look forward to following its progress throtgh

:28:12. > :28:18.committee stage, the other place and hopefully it's becoming law.

:28:19. > :28:23.I intend to support this bill and over the next couple of minttes I

:28:24. > :28:28.will set out my reasons. It is shameful the national trend and

:28:29. > :28:33.homelessness is upwards and has been for the past six years and this is

:28:34. > :28:37.true in my own area of commdntary with the number of households

:28:38. > :28:42.accepted statutorily homeless has increased year on year with the

:28:43. > :28:46.rates above both the region`l and national average. People can become

:28:47. > :28:52.homeless for a variety of complex and overlapping reasons. In Coventry

:28:53. > :28:57.the most, reason is the endhng of a tenancy in the private rentdd sector

:28:58. > :29:03.and this has increased signhficantly and accounts for 34% of the

:29:04. > :29:07.households statutorily homeless in the city, followed by familx or

:29:08. > :29:13.friends are no longer willing or able to accommodate a person and

:29:14. > :29:16.also break kinds of relationships. While existing homelessness

:29:17. > :29:19.legislation offers much-needed support to the extremely vulnerable

:29:20. > :29:24.its limited scope and restrhcted nature means there are still too

:29:25. > :29:27.many people who received little if any meaningful help from local

:29:28. > :29:32.authorities and this is particularly true for the single homeless or

:29:33. > :29:35.those found to have made thdmselves intentionally homeless. For these

:29:36. > :29:39.groups the current legislathon by the Serbs as a means to prevent

:29:40. > :29:44.members losing their homes or act as a safety net. -- the current

:29:45. > :29:50.legislation does not serve. This bill seeks to modernise and address

:29:51. > :29:52.these issues. This would ensure the introduction of stronger and more

:29:53. > :29:58.robust statutorily prevention and the relief as well as extending the

:29:59. > :30:02.roof of those duties to include people who would currently be

:30:03. > :30:06.refused help because they are considered priorities. This would be

:30:07. > :30:09.extremely welcome and indirdct election and make a positivd

:30:10. > :30:14.difference in the fight to tackle the scourge of high homelessness.

:30:15. > :30:18.But any such extension of ldgal duties on local government comes new

:30:19. > :30:21.costs and requirements which must be accompanied by the extension of

:30:22. > :30:26.adequate funding and appropriate powers from central Governmdnt. It

:30:27. > :30:31.is imperative the necessary means be provided to enable local authorities

:30:32. > :30:39.to implement the new duties successfully. Have never be

:30:40. > :30:42.homeless, I have always had a safe and secure home, something that is

:30:43. > :30:45.fundamental for everybody's well-being but I know only too well

:30:46. > :30:49.about some of the factors that may cause people to end up on that

:30:50. > :30:54.downward spiral and we have heard many examples today. So, finally,

:30:55. > :30:59.this bill and the provisions contained therein form on the part

:31:00. > :31:03.of the wider solution needed to end homelessness. If the countrx is to

:31:04. > :31:09.have an effective and sustahnable housing policy we must adopt an

:31:10. > :31:13.overarching strategy that combines these legislative changes whth

:31:14. > :31:17.structural housing, welfare and employment reforms that not only

:31:18. > :31:20.ensure an increase in the stpply of affordable homes but also addressed

:31:21. > :31:30.the ever increasing gap between household incomes and rent.

:31:31. > :31:34.It is a pleasure to speak in this bill and I congratulate my

:31:35. > :31:41.honourable friend for bringhng it in. And while I welcome this bill it

:31:42. > :31:45.is important to recognise the work of local authorities are dohng to

:31:46. > :31:48.help homelessness already. Portsmouth City Council desdrves

:31:49. > :31:52.praise for how it works with the homeless across the whole spectrum

:31:53. > :31:57.and the number of families hn temporary accommodation has fallen.

:31:58. > :32:01.Portsmouth City Council's housing teams already assign a caseworker

:32:02. > :32:06.for each at risk family and at other members have mentioned my concern as

:32:07. > :32:10.they had to go all the way to the point of eviction before thd

:32:11. > :32:14.authority can help them. Last week I had three examples of this `nd my

:32:15. > :32:17.surgery including a serving member of the Armed Forces. I welcome

:32:18. > :32:25.clause one was redefined homelessness and gives protdction to

:32:26. > :32:29.those at risk in the 1996 act. Happy 56 day period replacing the 28 day

:32:30. > :32:35.period gives me the issuancd for those in difficulty. -- havhng a 56

:32:36. > :32:39.day period. I hope that a p`rticular will help the people I have seen my

:32:40. > :32:47.surgery and in particular those in the Armed Forces which I thhnk is

:32:48. > :32:54.the disgrace. I am also pleased cause to

:32:55. > :32:58.reinforces the duty to provhde advisory services but not only just

:32:59. > :33:03.the local authority can provide advice as appoint examples of

:33:04. > :33:06.charities in the sector such as one and Portsmouth that provides tenancy

:33:07. > :33:11.support. They helped 86 famhlies last year and I am pleased that the

:33:12. > :33:15.supporting the Government stpporting people service. Clause eight gives

:33:16. > :33:18.greater protection to care leavers, as others have mentioned, btt I

:33:19. > :33:22.would like it to go further. I believe the state should dig a

:33:23. > :33:27.parental role by look after care leavers until the age of 25. --

:33:28. > :33:36.should play a parental role. Many of us have children still in their 20s

:33:37. > :33:39.still living at home and thd state should for care leavers. Thdy should

:33:40. > :33:42.be supported the move outside the local area to seek work on local and

:33:43. > :33:46.Mac education. The need support whenever they live. I hope this is

:33:47. > :33:51.taken into account at committee stage. They are facing many risks

:33:52. > :33:56.and we can do something to reduce them with this bill. The ch`rity

:33:57. > :34:01.crisis estimates reducing homelessness can free up 370 million

:34:02. > :34:04.per year public spending and Minorca and the Welsh experience it is

:34:05. > :34:09.possible to prevent homelessness a cunning by early action. -- and be

:34:10. > :34:15.nor by the wealth of experidnce I hope the consent I have unanimous

:34:16. > :34:22.message we are all backing ht today. -- I hope we can send.

:34:23. > :34:25.I would like to thank the mdmber for Harrow East for bringing thhs bill

:34:26. > :34:31.Beaumont and from our side H would like to thank the member for Dulwich

:34:32. > :34:36.for her work in generating support and fostering cross cross-p`rty

:34:37. > :34:42.support. The member has mentioned the staggering figures of rough

:34:43. > :34:46.sleepers in London, 8096 people we have failed and to are slipping on

:34:47. > :34:51.the streets of London should make us hang our heads in shame and the

:34:52. > :35:00.figures in my constituency `re not much better. The statistics show the

:35:01. > :35:04.people sleeping rough in thd streets has increased by one third hn the

:35:05. > :35:10.past five years and then Brdnt in just one year alone and one borough

:35:11. > :35:14.we are dealing with 55 homeless people looking desperately for

:35:15. > :35:17.somewhere to live. The membdr for Westminster not already outlined the

:35:18. > :35:23.complex needs of some of our constituents when trying to find

:35:24. > :35:27.howitzers. -- has already ottlined. What is tragic is the number of

:35:28. > :35:30.deaths already happened. -- trying to bring house is the number of

:35:31. > :35:33.deaths already happened. -- trying to bring houses. One exampld is of a

:35:34. > :35:40.man who used to sell the big issue on the streets of Camden who after a

:35:41. > :35:44.bitter light was found dead on the steps of the NatWest branch. He was

:35:45. > :35:50.always smiling, trying to m`ke ends meet but in the end he died. It was

:35:51. > :35:55.not just a life of hardship, there is also no dignity in dying for a

:35:56. > :35:59.lot of homeless people. Putting aside the people who are holeless

:36:00. > :36:03.for one second, the reason H also welcome the bill is because of the

:36:04. > :36:09.inclusion of duty to protect those at risk of homelessness. Thdre is an

:36:10. > :36:11.attempt to bring in personalised plans for those threatened with

:36:12. > :36:18.homelessness and in the Brent side of my borough they are currdntly 700

:36:19. > :36:22.people waiting to be housed in temporary accommodation bec`use they

:36:23. > :36:27.cannot afford the soaring rdnts in the private rented system and

:36:28. > :36:30.bearing in mind Brent already has the highest number of familhes

:36:31. > :36:36.already in temporary accommodation makes you realise that thesd people

:36:37. > :36:42.could add to the figures of homeless people overall. These are statistics

:36:43. > :36:47.that should make our heads hang in shame. I am pleased the Govdrnment

:36:48. > :36:51.has supported this bill but it is not enough to just pay lip service.

:36:52. > :36:55.There are a view conditions that need to be met before we can accept

:36:56. > :37:01.the Government is to be behhnd these measures. Number one, this has been

:37:02. > :37:05.said over and over again, they must be allocating sufficient funds for

:37:06. > :37:17.these measures to take placd. Two, they must stop the selling off of

:37:18. > :37:19.council homes. Three, they lust regulate the private rented sector

:37:20. > :37:20.and eliminate revenge evicthons eliminate rogue landlords and

:37:21. > :37:24.perhaps most importantly, ntmber four, they must build more houses. I

:37:25. > :37:27.will enter on this note, I tsed to be a local councillor and worked

:37:28. > :37:30.with excellent council officers and the West think you can do is when

:37:31. > :37:35.someone comes to you and saxs, I do not have a bed to sleep or ` roof

:37:36. > :37:40.over my head, is to turn thdm away on a cold and bitter night. It is

:37:41. > :37:48.not the lack of will on the part of local authorities, it is a lack of

:37:49. > :37:53.resources. Before I allow the honourable

:37:54. > :37:57.gentleman to start I must congratulate the last few speakers

:37:58. > :38:04.who have been a very brief `nd very to the point. We can relax ` little