A radical homelessness agenda could be Rayner’s defining legacy

One year on from a momentous election victory, Angela Rayner has appealed to her colleagues to “step-up” and make the case for a Labour government.

Her remarks reflect growing frustration within the Parliamentary Labour Party that the government still lacks a clear and compelling progressive vision for the country.

As Labour marks twelve months of power, the question remains: will its time in office be meaningfully different from its Conservative predecessors?

As pollster Luke Tryl notes: “a core challenge facing this [government] is people don’t see a sense of purpose, just the ‘tough’ stuff they don’t like.” Part of the answer, he suggests, is ministers pivoting back to the party’s established brand. “As our polling shows, tackling poverty and looking after the working class are what people see as Labour at its best.”

Without reform, homelessness will rise further

The Deputy Prime Minister – armed with the political gold dust of personal authenticity and, as of this week, a new windowless office for her team in the Cabinet Office – is perhaps the single government figure best placed to pick up the torch. 

Yet faced with a housebuilding target that looks increasingly out of reach, even more so after planning reforms were watered down by eco campaigners, she will need to find other emblems of the change a Labour government can bring.

I believe a radical homelessness agenda could fit the bill. The continued prevalence of rough sleeping, up by almost double since Covid, reminds voters every day of the gaping holes in our social fabric. Without serious reform, the numbers will rise still further, with thousands left to drift between prison, hospital wards and hostels – both at risk to the public and to the dangers of the streets. 

Helpfully, there is a plan already written for her – costing not a single extra penny of taxpayers money. Alongside mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has this week published proposals to take over 5,500 rough sleepers off the streets by the end of the parliament. This involves scaling-up a programme called Housing First. 

The evidence is resounding, it works

Housing First begins with an obvious but powerful principle for tackling rough sleeping: start with a home. From that solid foundation, people are helped to address the deep-rooted challenges holding them back, from childhood trauma to drug addiction. It’s an approach rooted in common sense, recognising that no one can rebuild their life whilst trapped in an endless cycle of homelessness, emergency accommodation, and crisis services.

The evidence is resounding. It works. In national pilots, 84% of clients were in permanent housing after three years. In Liverpool, Housing First was found to be three and a half times more effective than other homeless services. It also has a return on investment. For every £1 invested in Housing First, £2 is returned in savings, including to public services like the NHS, criminal justice and homeless outreach. 

But Housing First is more than a policy opportunity, it could become Rayner’s most visible act of national renewal and a clear example of what Labour in power can deliver. Nurtured in her own region of Greater Manchester, it is already a regional Labour success story. By scaling it across England, Labour has a unique opportunity to transform thousands of lives and fix a broken system. A legacy which will last way beyond the next election. 

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The CSJ’s plan would cost the government £103 million over four years. Nearly half of this can be funded by scrapping expensive relocation expenses for civil servants and cutting back the programme which moves them to the regions. What better way for an ‘insurgent’ progressive government to show the public they are on their side by housing homeless veterans instead of removal vans for civil servants. The rest can be funded by using a fraction of the current rough sleeping grant and new homelessness funding announced at the Spending Review. 

While summer will no doubt be welcomed as a respite from the endless challenges of government, tough decisions loom this Autumn. Angela Rayner is right that the government needs a ‘moral mission’, but who will lead it? By ending the scourge of rough sleeping on our streets, it could well be her.

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