Press release: Caroline Voaden MP urges Government to “go further and end homelessness for good”

Following the Government’s £9.1m announcement for winter homelessness support in the South West, Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden has called on ministers to do much more to deliver  real, long-term solutions to end homelessness - not just short-term fixes.

With record numbers of households now living in temporary accommodation across England, including nearly 170,000 children, this latest Government announcement falls far short of addressing the scale of the housing crisis which many councils are struggling to manage against a backdrop of budget cuts and spiralling costs of supporting families in need of temporary accommodation.

Official figures show that local authorities now face a £2.8 billion bill for temporary accommodation in 2024–25, up from £2.3 billion last year, a cost many fear is unsustainable. Meanwhile, over 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists.

Caroline Voaden Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon said:

“It’s heartbreaking that as we approach winter so many families and children in the South West will be without a safe, warm place to call home. Over 500 days have passed since the election, and we are still waiting for the Government to produce its homelessness strategy. They must step up to end homelessness once and for all.

“Central to this must be a statutory target on social homes to tackle the 1.3 million households on waiting lists. The Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the Government to be more ambitious, including abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions and setting out a strategy to end all forms of homelessness. No more should families be forced to sleep rough and without their basic right to shelter.”