Yesterday [11.12.2025], Labour released its long-awaited cross-government strategy to end homelessness. Homeless Oxfordshire welcomes the stronger focus on prevention and cross-sector working. However, urgent action is still needed on affordable housing and women’s homelessness.
A National Plan for Homelessness outlines commitments to halve long-term rough sleeping and address the complex causes of homelessness, with a focus on prevention and collective accountability being embedded across government, public services and partner organisations.
These proposals are encouraging, but with homelessness in Oxfordshire rising at an alarming pace, urgent action on social housing, housing benefits, and affordable rents is still essential. Similarly, women’s homelessness needs further investment.
Key takeaways from the strategy
- New ‘duty to collaborate’ law: Public services – including hospitals and prisons – will be required to coordinate efforts to prevent people being discharged into homelessness.
- Investment in supported housing: Significant funding for supported accommodation and specialist services for people with complex needs.
- Targets to reduce homelessness from institutional discharge points: The Government aims to halve new cases arising from prisons, hospitals and other institutions.
- Ending routine use of B&Bs: A commitment to stop using B&Bs for emergency accommodation by the end of the current parliamentary term.
- Stronger prevention policy: A broader cross-government pledge to increase long-term supported accommodation and strengthen prevention pathways.
Homelessness is rising at a rapid rate.
New figures from the charity Shelter show that more than 380,000 people in England are now experiencing homelessness – an 8% rise in the past year. Here in Oxfordshire, the rate of homelessness has more than doubled since 2021.
In 2024–25, 1,170 households became homeless in the county, a 20% increase on the previous year. The fastest-growing group were people becoming homeless due to family breakdown or abuse, accounting for more than a third of the rise.
Commenting on the announcement, our CEO, Simon Hewett-Avison, said:
“We welcome the commitments laid out in the strategy, particularly the investment in supported housing and specialist provision for people with complex needs, and ensuring collaboration across public services. These have the potential to break cycles of prison, hospital stays, and homelessness.
However, with the number of households becoming homeless in Oxfordshire rising at a rapid rate, these plans must be matched by urgent action on social housing supply and truly affordable rents. More also needs to be done to address women’s homelessness, including providing a gender-informed definition of rough sleeping.
At Homeless Oxfordshire, we see every day how a lack of affordable housing and limited access to the right support pushes people into crisis. We are committed to working with the Government, local authorities, public services and our partners to put this strategy into practice and make homelessness in Oxfordshire rare, brief and non-recurring.”
