Homelessness policy

Across the last decade, the number of people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the UK and Ireland has increased dramatically. Homelessness and rough sleeping affects us all.

When individuals and families struggle, our communities struggle too. As a society, we can and must do all we can to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good.

As part of The Salvation Army’s role in this effort, the Public Affairs & Social Policy Unit is responsible for developing evidence-based solutions to current and emerging issues around homelessness and rough sleeping and for promoting these solutions at a local and national level through our campaigns.

To develop evidence-based solutions, the Social Policy Team works closely with Salvation Army homelessness and rough sleeping services, as well as people with direct experience of homelessness and rough sleeping, to identify emerging trends and establish best practice, including through things like our Addictions Strategy. 

To promote these solutions, the Public Affairs Team works in partnership with key stakeholders, including politicians, civil servants, and other third sector organisations and campaigners, to influence local and national decision makers.

Through this combined effort, the Public Affairs & Social Policy Unit aims to ensure that homelessness and rough sleeping can be prevented at the earliest possible stage. In incidences where homelessness and rough sleeping cannot be prevented, the aim is to ensure that these occurrences are rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Key areas of focus for our current homelessness and rough sleeping campaign include:

• Improving the access of people who are at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping, as well as those who are looking to move on from previous experiences of homelessness and rough sleeping, to suitable, low cost housing options across the social and private rented sectors; and
• Guaranteeing that homelessness support services of all kinds, including outreach, supported housing, and tenancy sustainment and floating support, receive adequate funding from local and national government on a sustainable, long-term basis.  

Further information about our current campaigns, research, and responses to consultations and inquiries, across homelessness, employment and social security, and modern slavery can be found using the below tiles.