No One Left Out: Rough sleeping strategy

On 8th November 2008, the government announced the No One Left Out rough sleeping strategy which signals the government’s intention to work with partner agencies to end rough sleeping by 2012.

The strategy sets out 15 actions that the government will take to reduce rough sleeping to as close to as zero as possible.

• Action 1: promote prevention of rough sleeping in all areas through effective housing options and a strengthened safety net.
• Action 2: support best practice in commissioning of services that prevent and tackle rough sleeping.
• Action 3: extend positive activities that motivate and empower.
• Action 4: tackle worklessness.
• Action 5: further improve access to health and social care services for people with multiple needs.
• Action 6: step up efforts across Government and with local partners to tackle rough sleeping among new migrant populations.
• Action 7: use the web to promote knowledge of local services and resources that can address rough sleeping and social isolation.
• Action 8: develop a community training programme to build capacity and skills that can support isolated people to avoid sleeping rough.
• Action 9: promote personalisation including testing individual budgets, to increase the control people have over the services they need.
• Action 10: drive forward user involvement in services and active citizenship among people with experience of rough sleeping.
• Action 11: launch a new approach to help local authorities monitor progress and track people sleeping rough, ensuring that counts are not just an opportunity to identify levels of need but more importantly to do something about it.
• Action 12: bring together existing data in new ways to understand and monitor outcomes for people who sleep rough.
• Action 13: launch a new Champions programme, bringing together experts from across the country to support local areas and other services.
• Action 14: encourage and support councils and regions to work strategically to end rough sleeping.
• Action 15: renew focus on driving, co-ordinating and monitoring progress through our specialist advisers and regional resource teams and by working more closely across government.

The full version of the No One Left Out document can be downloaded here.

Context of rough sleeping in England since 1998

In 1998, the Social Exclusion Unit detailed the extent of rough sleeping its' causes. As a result, the Rough Sleepers Unit (RSU) was set up in April 1999 and involved key voluntary sector organisations, local authorities, other statutory agencies (e.g. health, police) and also rough sleepers.

Source: Homelessness statistics September 2007 and Rough Sleeping – 10 years on

Coming in from the Cold was launched in December 1998 and set out how the government target to reduce rough sleeping by two thirds by 2002 was going to be achieved. The strategy reached its target ahead of schedule through:

• Focus on street outreach – Good practice in Street outreach handbook

• Services focusing on education, training and employment and active participation in local communities – Good practice in education, training and employment handbook

• Prevention methods to reduce future rough sleeping problems

The summer 2000 Coming in from the cold: Progress Report outlines the early achievements of this programme.

• For current statistics on rough sleeping see the Homeless Link Homelessness and Housing Statistics webpage.

What steps can we take now?

Now the target has been reached, what are the future steps we can take to bring rough sleeping as close to zero as possible?

• Homeless Link commitment to ending rough sleeping by 2012 - Website

• Government’s new rough sleeping strategy
• Tackling rough sleeping through local strategic approaches, delivered locally for all rough sleepers

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