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The National Plan sets out £3.5 billion of investment over the next three years and represents the first comprehensive homelessness strategy in England for several years. It places strong emphasis on prevention, improved standards and better coordination across public services, all of which are welcome and necessary steps.
However, in our analysis we argue that the success of the plan will ultimately be judged not by how well it improves individual services, but by whether it enables young people to move forward through the system and into sustainable independence.
For young people, homelessness is rarely a single event. It is more often shaped by how systems respond at key transition points, such as leaving care, moving on from supported accommodation, or taking on adult housing costs without adult levels of security. While the National Plan strengthens prevention and support, it leaves unresolved questions about what happens when support succeeds but affordable housing options are not available.
Our analysis highlights three key pressure points: the lack of viable move-on options from supported accommodation, the affordability gap created by the mismatch between Local Housing Allowance and real rents, and the financial cliff edge many young people face at 18 when moving from children’s services into adult systems.
We welcome the government’s long-term ambition that no young person leaving care should experience homelessness. However, ambition alone will not deliver change without practical mechanisms that reflect young people’s financial and developmental realities.
Our full analysis is published in the Driving Change section of our website and explores how prevention, supported accommodation and collaboration must be matched with realistic routes into independence if the National Plan is to deliver lasting change for young people.
Read the Full Analysis: Can the National Plan End Homelessness for Young People?
We welcome the Government announcement of a new comprehensive homelessness strategy, including £3.5 billion investment over the next three years.
But its success will depend upon how much it offers a joined-up approach and a clear route from homelessness to independent living.
