Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of helping to provide a legal address at which homeless people can register better to enable them to apply for jobs.

Mr Marcus Jones

One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government has increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. This will build on the success of the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond in London, which aimed to turn around the lives of 830 entrenched rough sleepers. So far, over half have achieved positive outcomes, including employment outcomes.

Employment can be an important part of an individual’s recovery from a homelessness crisis, and homeless people can use addresses at hostels and day centres to make job applications.