Onwards, upwards, Homewards
Does ending homelessness show us a way out of the housing crisis?
** This article originally featured as ‘Comment’ in Inside Housing 3.7.23
Homewards — the programme launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales — will demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness. Could it also offer a path out of the housing crisis?
One objective of Homewards is to change society’s knowledge and opinion about homelessness, boosting positivity about the prospects for achieving success.
Ipsos’ research for Homewards found considerable goodwill and empathy to build on. Eight in 10 Britons believe that homelessness can happen to anyone, while the same proportion think it’s unfair to take a negative view of those experiencing homelessness.
Seven in 10 people believe homelessness has got worse in the past 12 months in the UK and eight in 10 of this group think it will get worse in the next 12 months.
There is, though, a juxtaposition between a sense of inevitable deterioration during a cost of living crisis, and the strong view — held by two-thirds of people — that there is plenty we can do as a society to end homelessness.
People know this isn’t going to be easy. Nine in 10 think there are lots of causes of homelessness, while seven in 10 agree that poverty and the lack of affordable housing are contributing factors.
Structural factors are not the only reason for homelessness — a fifth of those who think poverty is a key cause also associate homelessness with individuals making bad choices in life.
The public don’t know what is currently being done. In the same way that some homelessness is ‘hidden’ from public view, so too is current action and urgency to do something. Just 13% are confident that co-operation to end homelessness among public and private sector organisations will happen.
Our research for Homewards shows that demonstrating homelessness can and has been ‘ended’ through facts, figures and case studies have the potential to engage the public and help to shift perceptions into more positive territory.
This echoes past research conducted by Ipsos for the Centre for Homelessness Impact which indicated the benefits of using evidence to tell stories and show success in addition to formulating policy.
At the heart of Homewards is a canny recognition that we need a campaign to end homelessness alongside policy-making and investment. Co-ordination, consensus building and credibility are important prerequisites of policy success as are earning public confidence and engagement.
Similar challenges and opportunities confront the wider housing crisis. Housing seems to be repeatedly filed in the ‘too difficult’ pile by politicians and wider society. The public are often sceptical about the merits and motives of the actions they see being taken and lack confidence about the sufficiency of what is being done.
The public, though, is steadfast in its view that we can make things better if we try harder and try better, but it needs reasons to believe this is a realistic prospect.
Homewards fills an important gap and could provide a pathway for progress.
