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Housing

Andy Burnham wants to give homes to Manchester's rough sleepers in 'sea change for housing'

The Greater Manchester Mayor has announced plans to scale up Housing First in the region in bid to follow Finland in crackdown on rough sleeping

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. pictured speaking to the Big Issue in his office in 2023, has called for a drastic change in how homelessness is handled to end the housing crisis. Image: Max Kent

Andy Burnham has promised to scale up efforts to give rough sleepers homes in Greater Manchester in a bid to follow Finland in slashing homelessness through a Housing First scheme.

More than 400 people have been helped off the streets and into their own homes in the region through Housing First since a pilot began in 2019.

The Housing First model sees rough sleepers given a home alongside the wraparound support they need to escape homelessness. It is widely regarded as one of the solutions to street homelessness and has had a big impact in Finland where it has cut homelessness by 70% since 2007.

Addressing a housing conference in Manchester, Burnham said he is setting up a cross-sector Housing First Unit to make the philosophy central to the region’s efforts to tackle homelessness.

“Following the second report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, it is abundantly clear that a sea change is needed in the way Britain thinks about housing,” the Greater Manchester mayor said.

“Rather than a money-making opportunity, or just a commodity to be bought and sold, we need to see housing as an essential service. Giving everyone a good, safe home would be one of the best investments the country could make, and would take pressure off other public services and public finances. We are ready to pilot this approach in Greater Manchester and become the first UK city-region to adopt a Finnish-style Housing First philosophy.

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“The evidence is clear that it works, and when a pilot scheme gets results it shouldn’t end there – it should become the new normal. Housing First has shown that if you give people an unconditional right to safe and secure housing, backed up with personalised support, you set them up to succeed.”

The Housing First pilot is one of three government-backed schemes operating in England alongside Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands.

Funding is currently set to run out next year with the government yet to set out its future plans for Housing First.

The pilot scheme has supported people like Vance, who was homeless for a decade after his alcohol addiction left him estranged from his family. He was offered a flat through the Housing First pilot after leaving rehab.

He said: “I want to just give the next person the advice that they need: I would say get on that ladder and stay on that ladder. Go and sort your addiction out. Do it for yourself.”

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie has previously said the rollout of Housing First has been “too slow” and called for it to be adopted more widely at pace.

Burnham agrees and has set out plans to adopt a wider philosophy related to the model, much like what has been done to great success in Finland.

Greater Manchester leaders will focus on improving the supply and standard homes to make Housing First a success alongside using more devolved powers and funding to tackle health and employment using a home as a base.

Burnham has promised 75,000 new homes across the region with the support of the Labour government, including affordable homes and single occupancy accommodation in demand for Housing First. 

He has previously announced a Good Landlord Charter to take action against rogue landlords as well as a Property Check scheme for renters.

Burnham said this Housing First policy will recognise that a “good home has to be the first step to a good life” – a stance he told the Big Issue about last year in an exclusive interview.

“Instead of winding it down, we should be scaling it up and turning it into a national mission – and we’re starting that here in Greater Manchester. We’re bringing in new protections for renters, tackling bad landlords, and with the right powers and funding we can deliver 75,000 new homes in this parliament,” said Burnham.

“Our new Housing First Unit will drive this work forward, bringing together partners across our city-region with a clear goal: a healthy home for everyone in Greater Manchester by 2038.

“The growing cost of not solving the housing crisis – both on our communities and on the public purse – is plain to see.”

Like other parts of the country, Greater Manchester is counting the cost of the housing crisis with record numbers of people living in temporary accommodation.

Failing to tackle the housing crisis across Greater Manchester is costing the region £75m in temporary accommodation rents, the Great Manchester Combined Authority said, with costs for support staff and other services meaning the true cost is much higher.

Deputy Greater Manchester mayor Paul Dennett described the figures as “eye-watering” and said the region must “urgently accelerate the supply of genuinely affordable, council and social housing”.

He also called for changes to the Right to Buy scheme with 24,000 homes in Greater Manchester sold off over the last 20 years. Housing secretary Angela Rayner is reportedly considering reforming the Thatcherite scheme.

Burnham has looked to Finland for inspiration by embedding a Housing First philosophy in the solution to the crisis. He welcomed a delegation from Finland to Manchester this week to discuss his plans.

Big Issue visited Finland in 2021 to hear how the country had tackled homelessness. 

Jukka Siukosaari, ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom, said: “Our nation has succeeded in going against the trend by actually decreasing the number of people without a place to live. This result is a proof of the importance of the home as a starting point when we help people rebuild their lives.

“I am happy to be able to share some lessons we have learned in Finland about finding solutions to homelessness, an issue that countries in Europe and all over the world are working to solve.”

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