The Archer Project has signed an open letter, coordinated by Homeless Link, warning of the "funding cliff-edge" homelessness services are facing across the country – with almost £1bn due to leave the homelessness sector in April.
The letter explains: The current Spending Review period is now coming to an end and the vast majority of funding commitments made to relieve homelessness, including many of those for people experiencing street homelessness, are set to expire by April 2025... Without an extension, this would represent the most significant setback in progress towards ending homelessness and rough sleeping in recent history.
The letter addressed to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has been signed by 76 homelessness and housing organisations. Other local signatories include Framework, Roundabout, and Nomad Opening Doors.
Alongside these organisations, The Archer Project adds our voice to the call for the Chancellor to give the homelessness sector more certainty about the Autumn Budget; to launch a thorough review of all homelessness-related spending; and to commit to developing and delivering a ring-fenced homelessness funding system, from 2026-27 onwards.
Archer Project CEO, Tim Renshaw said: "If we look at the level of homelessness in both Sheffield and wider areas at the moment, and we know all the good work that is going on to move people away from homelessness – and still more people are coming to the streets. So we need at least the level of funding previously invested, but actually much more if we’re going to stop people living the awful life of street homelessness, and be able to put in the work needed for prevention."
Homeless Link CEO, Rick Henderson commented: "The sheer number of organisations who’ve signed this letter shows how much anxiety the funding cliff-edge is causing homelessness services across the country.
"Organisations are already considering redundancies and scaling back services. The Autumn Budget is the Government’s final opportunity to give the sector some certainty and prevent the inevitable surge in homelessness that will come if services are forced to close their doors from March."
Read the full letter at: https://homelesslink-1b54.kxcdn.com/media/documents/Funding_open_letter_to_the_Chancellor.pdf
The Guardian's reporting on this can be found at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/09/rough-sleeping-homelessness-labour-rachel-reeves
