The most updated information about Housing First in England is drawn from the survey report published by Homeless Link in 2020. The report is based on findings from an online survey completed by 87 Housing First services across England in 2020. For selected questions, findings are compared with a similar survey completed by 28 services in 2017.

The 87 services that responded have a combined capacity to support 1,995 people. This compares with 28 services responding in 2017 with a capacity to support an estimated 350 people. Overall, we estimate an almost six-fold increase in the capacity of Housing First services across the country since 2017. The North West and West Midlands have the greatest capacity due to the large-scale Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) pilot projects being undertaken in these regions.

The number of services is unevenly distributed across the country, with a concentration of services in the South East (23% of services) and London (20%). The greatest increase in the proportion of services in a region is in the South West; no services responded from this region in 2017, compared with 13 services in 2020.

In total, 66% of services receive local authority funding – most commonly though Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) funding or the homelessness grant provided by MHCLG to local authorities. Very few receive local authority funding via adult social care (9%) or public health (6%).

Funding periods tend to be limited (often contrary to the intention of the service providers and commissioners to continue services long term); services frequently identified this as a challenge.

Social housing was used by 81% of services responding in 2020 compared with 61% of those responding in 2017. In tandem, use of the private rented sector (PRS) among participating services has decreased from 57% in 2017 to 35% in 2020.

For nearly all services, the tenancy is held by the Housing First client rather than the service provider. Nearly all services provide self-contained, scattered-site housing (97%). Just over one in twenty (6%) offer shared accommodation as an option for some clients.

On average, two-thirds of each service’s clients are male and one-third female. There are six services whose clients are all female – these services can support 80 women between them.
For most services the majority of clients are White (89%). On average one in 20 clients are Black and the same proportion are of Mixed Ethnicity.
Overall, services tend to work with those aged between 35 and 59. Three services specifically mentioned working with people under 25; one was a service for care leavers, one was a service for people aged 18-25, and another works with a youth service within a wider Housing First project.

The rapid expansion of Housing First over the last few years, through a diverse range of projects across the country, should be promoted and celebrated. However, there is more to do if we want Housing First to be viable and accessible to all those who need it.

Fair access to housing and statutory services for those facing multiple disadvantage is key to the widespread implementation and success of Housing First; this is an area for ongoing influencing at a national level and advocacy at an individual case level. However, we will also continue to campaign for more sustainable approaches to funding, which reduce the inherent tension between the current short-term commissioning cycles and the long-term nature of Housing First support.

We encourage commissioners and funders to explore and create a more stable funding environment, maximising funding periods within current arrangements and seeking new approaches, including pooled funding with statutory funders such as adult social care and CCGs, who do not work on the same cycles as the RSI and homelessness grant.

A small number of specialist services for women and young people demonstrate that there is potential value in broadening the scope of Housing First approaches on a larger scale; this should be explored in further depth.

How Housing First reaches people from different groups in terms of gender, ethnicity and sexuality is an area for further research, so that Housing First is accessible to all those who require it.

The fidelity of projects to the key principles for Housing First depends on funding, commissioning, service design and local networks of support. Although the majority of services identifying as Housing First have high fidelity to the key principles, we will support others to move closer to the model, exploring with them the barriers and challenges they face in doing so.

Through the Housing First England project we will continue to provide support, information, training and research to encourage the expansion of Housing First. Please do get in touch: alex.smith@homelesslink.org.uk

Reference: The picture of Housing First in England 2020 – Survey Report – Housing First England – Homeless Link

Read the full survey report here.