Wales' long-awaited and 'radical' homelessness bill promises shift to prevention

The Welsh government is set to introduce its long-awaited new homelessness bill, promising the “radical” legislation will transform how the issue is tackled and save taxpayers’ cash.

The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill, described as “ambitious” by officials, is aiming to shift homelessness help towards preventative measures and away from support being delivered at crisis point.

Local authorities will have more tools to take action up to six months before a person falls into homelessness rather than the current 56-day limit.

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It will also look to axe priority need, which can prevent some people experiencing homelessness from accessing support, and intentionality – when a person is blocked from support for being judged to have made themselves intentionally homeless.

The draft legislation, which has been put together with the help of 350 people who have experienced homelessness, also promises to ensure no one will leave care and fall into homelessness.

But the new law faces a race against time to make it through the Senedd and into law in a year’s time.

Speaking at the Big Issue’s Big Debate in Cardiff, Julie James, Welsh government’s counsel general and minister for delivery, said delivering the new law was her big ambition before she bows out of politics following the election.

She said: “I’m absolutely determined to get that bill through before the end of the Senedd term so we will have some of the most radical homelessness legislation to support people.”

Like the rest of Britain, rising homelessness has seen more people living in costly temporary accommodation, pushing local authority budgets to breaking point.

The shift towards prevention is intended to help councils “get further upstream” and “give more tools” to local authorities to support people into longer-term homes.

The Welsh government confirmed that a regulatory impact assessment showed the bill would cost £247 million to implement up to 2035-36 but the financial benefits are projected to have a value of £481m.

A government spokesperson added: “The reforms will require upfront investment in the early years of implementation to focus resources on prevention and away from costly crisis intervention – with the cost benefits of the reforms coming in later years.”

A new local connection test will apply to social housing to allow local authorities to focus resources on communities but homelessness support will not be restricted across Wales.

Care leavers will have a “reasonable preference” for social housing allocation, allowing them to find a suitable home.

The new legislation will also allow local authorities to request social landlords to accommodate someone owed a homelessness duty. Social landlords must comply with the request unless there is “good reason”.

Councils will have a new duty to provide help for people to retain suitable accommodation.

The bill will bring forward duty to “ask and act”, which is also set to be introduced in Scotland’s upcoming housing bill. Officials said this duty will mean public bodies are able to access people at risk of homelessness much earlier, refer them to local authorities and take actions they can to boost housing stability.

Jayne Bryant, cabinet secretary for housing and local government, will introduce the legislation to the Senedd in an oral statement on Tuesday (20 May).

She said the new law is a vital step towards achieving the Welsh government’s long-term ambition of ending homelessness in Wales. 

“This bill marks a turning point in how Wales tackles homelessness. I’m proud to introduce legislation that not only changes systems but will also transforms lives,” said Bryant.  

“Every person deserves a safe place to call home, and these reforms bring us closer to making that a reality across Wales.  

“I’m particularly pleased about what this means for young care leavers. By bringing housing and social services teams together, we’ll ensure these young people – who are our responsibility – get the support they need.  

“Ending homelessness in Wales isn’t just an aspiration – it’s achievable if we work together to spot warning signs early and step in with the right support before crisis hits. This bill gives us the tools to make that happen.”  

Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru, told Big Issue that the publication of the bill was a key moment that has “the potential to initiate transformative change in how we tackle homelessness in Wales”.

“We see every day the barriers and limitations of the current system,” she added. “The people we assist tell us they struggle to access the help they need. Often reaching crisis point before they do so with opportunities to prevent their homelessness frequently missed. Because of this experience we know how vital change is.

“We are now looking forward to seeing the full detail of the legislation and to working closely with the Welsh government and others to ensure that the final bill commits to all the changes that are desperately needed by people facing homelessness across Wales.”

Big Issue has long been calling for a focus on prevention to tackle homelessness and the idea is continuing to proliferate around Britain.

Lord John Bird said: “I welcome the Welsh Government’s new Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill, which broadens the focus from the immediate crisis to long-term prevention.

“It will take continual and considerable political focus to fix the homelessness crisis we have on our hands, backed with real resource and investment, as well as collaboration with business and third-sector organisations like the Big Issue. But I believe this signals a genuine change in how Wales approaches the problem of homelessness, with clever solutions that can lead the way in terms of how the wider UK approaches its own crises in this area.

“While visiting Cardiff with the Big Issue just last week, I heard from a group of care-experienced people who condemned the Welsh government for ignoring how the trauma of growing up in the care system has stayed with them into adulthood. I know this painful truth from my own childhood. So I’m particularly encouraged to see this bill includes a new duty to ensure more suitable accommodation is available for young people leaving care, most notably by ensuring they are higher priority on social housing lists.”

Labour announced it was looking towards prevention at the end of last year when it pledged to spend £1 billion on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in England.

The Westminster government is set to set out a long-term strategy for tackling homelessness following next month’s spending review.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government also recently announced four homelessness prevention projects at its Programme for Government.

It’s a year since a housing emergency was declared in Holyrood and Shelter Scotland said last week that 2.3 million people are being affected.

Ministers said they would invest £4 million in homelessness prevention pilots in 2025-26 to help authorities prepare for the upcoming Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will introduce rent controls and take other measures to prevent homelessness.

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications for Crisis Scotland, said testing out the new law before it comes into force “will show what’s needed to make it a success”.

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