ALABARÉ welcomes publication of Government’s long-awaited homelessness strategy
We're pleased to see the long-awaited cross-party strategy on tackling homelessness being published and we welcome many of the commitments included within it.
Leading charity ALABARÉ is pleased to see the long-awaited cross-party homelessness strategy being published today (11 December 2025) and welcomes many of the commitments included within it.
The 90-page Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government document sets out an ambitious target to halve long-term rough sleeping by the end of the current Parliament.
An additional £3.5 billion of funding has been announced to support homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, on top of £1 billion that’s already been committed.
The strategy says ‘the best way to end homelessness and rough sleeping is to prevent it before it happens’ – a statement that ALABARÉ wholeheartedly agrees with, but acknowledges that there also needs to be policies in place to ensure long-term support is also in place.
What’s in the strategy?
A number of new announcements in the homelessness strategy document are important steps forward in tackling the homelessness crisis, and supporting ALABARÉ’s areas of expertise, such as:
- A £124 million supported housing programme, aiming to reach 2,500 people, is vital in ensuring those facing homelessness are provided with bed spaces and the ongoing help they need to regain stability, confidence and independence.
- £15 million towards tackling long-term rough sleeping, which shows a commitment to breaking the cycle of homelessness for vulnerable people.
- £37 million allocated to an Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund will utilise the work of voluntary, community and faith-based organisations, such as ALABARÉ to improve the support offered to affected individuals.
- Removing the ‘local connections’ test for veterans accessing social housing is a welcome step, as we see many former military personnel looking to make a fresh start in a new area as they enter supported living accommodation and towards independence.
- £185 million to continue the Government’s Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment programme will help clients in ALABARÉ services to move forward with their recovery from addiction
The charity would also welcome clarity on how the headline £3.5 billion in funding will directly support frontline services, in partnership with local authorities, as £3 billion of that money is specifically allocated for councils.
ALABARÉ and other partners in the charity sector could help ensure that funding for authorities reaches the right places and the people in greatest need.
ALABARÉ well-positioned to help the Government meet its targets
ALABARÉ welcomes areas of the homelessness strategy that also highlight the importance of some areas that are already integral to the charity’s work, such as the focus on offering tailored support for every individual who accesses services and helping clients connect to work placements and building employability skills.
ALABARÉ recognises that people who sleep rough are more likely to have complex and overlapping support needs.
Included in the report is the staggering statistic that ‘84% of women and 65% of men who reported having slept rough within the last year had had three or more of the following experiences: homelessness, substance (either drugs or alcohol) use problems, mental health issues, domestic abuse, and interaction with the criminal justice system’.
The government has set itself a short-term target of halving the number of people with complex needs who spend years on the street. ALABARÉ is well-placed to support due to its expertise in its innovative well-being programmes, such as Boots on the Ground, and its employability pathways, such as its award-winning Veterans’ Self-Build Scheme.
Re-doubling efforts to tackle root causes welcomed
Previously announced policies and funding detailed in the homelessness strategy, which will be important in re-doubling efforts to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, and are welcomed by ALABARÉ, include:
- A target to build 1.5 million new social and affordable homes, along with the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill from May 2026
- Repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act in Spring next year, effectively decriminalising rough sleeping and making sure vulnerable people are not further penalised
- Scrapping the two-child Child Benefit cap, and increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit, to help bridge the gap between incomes and accommodation costs
- A £12 million extension of the Reducing Veterans’ Homelessness programme, known as Op FORTITUDE
This document comes as homelessness is at a crisis point, with record numbers of households living in temporary accommodation, and nearly 400,000 people experiencing homelessness this winter.
Andrew Lord, Chief Executive of ALABARÉ, said:
“We welcome the Government’s homelessness strategy being published today and are pleased that there’s a clear focus on preventing rough sleeping and aims to break the cycle of homelessness before it begins.
“However, it’s important that the funding is directed to frontline services who are there immediately when people need them most – they are the first-point of contact in ensuring support is there to break the cycle of homelessness for the long-term.
“A notable absence in both the Chancellor’s Budget and this strategy is the lack of changes to the housing benefit system, which runs the risk of pushing more people towards homelessness, as they can’t afford to increase their working hours or keep up with rentals.
“We would be keen to explore opportunities to work alongside the Government on shaping the frontline services that would be able to do the most with the funding – providing homes, restoring hearts, and empowering minds.”
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