Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking with Ministerial colleagues to ensure that the 2027-28 Better Care Fund policy framework supports the development of specialist intermediate care services for people experiencing homelessness as outlined in the National Plan to End Homelessness.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care recognises the importance of ensuring people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate health and social care services. We are working across government to deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to end rough sleeping, with an immediate focus on ensuring everyone sleeping rough has an offer of support off the streets by Christmas. This sits alongside our wider work to join up health, housing and care services around the individual, helping people access the support they need.
In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, setting out a clear, cross-Government approach to prevent homelessness and tackle rough sleeping over the long term. The plan includes a Government commitment that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay. It recognises that discharge into insecure or unsuitable housing, including rough sleeping, is harmful to people’s health and wellbeing, and costly to services.
To support this, we have, jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published guidance on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, which is available at the following link:
As well as this, every acute hospital has access to a multidisciplinary care transfer hub to manage the discharge of people with more complex needs. These teams work together to plan a person’s discharge, so their health and care needs as well as housing situation are all considered, and the right support is in place when they leave hospital.
The Better Care Fund supports integrated care boards and local authorities to jointly plan and fund services including intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement.
We are considering options for the future development of the Better Care Fund from 2027/28 as part of wider work to strengthen adult social care and integrated health services. This remains a live area of policy development and decisions on future arrangements, including specialist intermediate care for people experiencing homelessness, are yet to be finalised.
We are developing a new cross-Government mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. The strategy will take a broad approach to improving mental wellbeing and supporting people with mental-ill health, including where there is co-occurrence with other conditions. It will emphasise addressing disparities in mental health, from access to services to experiences and outcomes.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the upcoming Mental Health Strategy addresses people with illness, such as people experiencing homelessness.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care recognises the importance of ensuring people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate health and social care services. We are working across government to deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to end rough sleeping, with an immediate focus on ensuring everyone sleeping rough has an offer of support off the streets by Christmas. This sits alongside our wider work to join up health, housing and care services around the individual, helping people access the support they need.
In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, setting out a clear, cross-Government approach to prevent homelessness and tackle rough sleeping over the long term. The plan includes a Government commitment that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay. It recognises that discharge into insecure or unsuitable housing, including rough sleeping, is harmful to people’s health and wellbeing, and costly to services.
To support this, we have, jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published guidance on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, which is available at the following link:
As well as this, every acute hospital has access to a multidisciplinary care transfer hub to manage the discharge of people with more complex needs. These teams work together to plan a person’s discharge, so their health and care needs as well as housing situation are all considered, and the right support is in place when they leave hospital.
The Better Care Fund supports integrated care boards and local authorities to jointly plan and fund services including intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement.
We are considering options for the future development of the Better Care Fund from 2027/28 as part of wider work to strengthen adult social care and integrated health services. This remains a live area of policy development and decisions on future arrangements, including specialist intermediate care for people experiencing homelessness, are yet to be finalised.
We are developing a new cross-Government mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. The strategy will take a broad approach to improving mental wellbeing and supporting people with mental-ill health, including where there is co-occurrence with other conditions. It will emphasise addressing disparities in mental health, from access to services to experiences and outcomes.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress her Department has made on ensuring that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care recognises the importance of ensuring people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate health and social care services. We are working across government to deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to end rough sleeping, with an immediate focus on ensuring everyone sleeping rough has an offer of support off the streets by Christmas. This sits alongside our wider work to join up health, housing and care services around the individual, helping people access the support they need.
In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, setting out a clear, cross-Government approach to prevent homelessness and tackle rough sleeping over the long term. The plan includes a Government commitment that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay. It recognises that discharge into insecure or unsuitable housing, including rough sleeping, is harmful to people’s health and wellbeing, and costly to services.
To support this, we have, jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published guidance on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, which is available at the following link:
As well as this, every acute hospital has access to a multidisciplinary care transfer hub to manage the discharge of people with more complex needs. These teams work together to plan a person’s discharge, so their health and care needs as well as housing situation are all considered, and the right support is in place when they leave hospital.
The Better Care Fund supports integrated care boards and local authorities to jointly plan and fund services including intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement.
We are considering options for the future development of the Better Care Fund from 2027/28 as part of wider work to strengthen adult social care and integrated health services. This remains a live area of policy development and decisions on future arrangements, including specialist intermediate care for people experiencing homelessness, are yet to be finalised.
We are developing a new cross-Government mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. The strategy will take a broad approach to improving mental wellbeing and supporting people with mental-ill health, including where there is co-occurrence with other conditions. It will emphasise addressing disparities in mental health, from access to services to experiences and outcomes.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance in preventing homelessness among Universal Credit claimants in London.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters claiming either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit in the private rented sector and the level of LHA is based on the number of bedrooms a household needs and the area in which they live. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
In 2024 LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents costing an additional £7 billion over 5 years.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviews LHA rates annually, including the Shared Accommodation Rate. Decisions consider a range of factors such as market rents across Great Britain, poverty impacts and other government priorities.
The causes of homelessness are both personal and structural, and there is no single welfare or housing policy that can significantly reduce homelessness on its own. DWP continues to work closely with MHCLG to make sure interactions with homelessness are considered.
For under 35s that have experienced homelessness there is an exemption from the shared accommodation rate of LHA. Those who are exempt can claim the higher one-bedroom rate of LHA.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Shared Accommodation Rate on under 35s to a) avoid homelessness and b) move on from homelessness.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters claiming either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit in the private rented sector and the level of LHA is based on the number of bedrooms a household needs and the area in which they live. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
In 2024 LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents costing an additional £7 billion over 5 years.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviews LHA rates annually, including the Shared Accommodation Rate. Decisions consider a range of factors such as market rents across Great Britain, poverty impacts and other government priorities.
The causes of homelessness are both personal and structural, and there is no single welfare or housing policy that can significantly reduce homelessness on its own. DWP continues to work closely with MHCLG to make sure interactions with homelessness are considered.
For under 35s that have experienced homelessness there is an exemption from the shared accommodation rate of LHA. Those who are exempt can claim the higher one-bedroom rate of LHA.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what specific steps her Department is taking to help reduce homelessness among (a) LGBT+ people, (b) women, (c) black and other ethnic minority communities and (d) young people.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On his first day in office, the Prime Minister launched an urgent national drive to end rough sleeping. We have announced £442 million new funding to support this ambition, taking the total investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years to over £4 billion. Local authorities are best placed to understand and respond to local need, and this flexible funding can be used to design services that meet the needs of LGBT+ people, women, black and other ethnic minority communities and young people. We are clear that housing authorities must be mindful of the Equality Act 2010 and their public sector equality duties towards people who have a protected characteristic.
The Government recognises that some groups of people, including women, young people, LGBT+ people and people from ethnic minority backgrounds can face barriers to support. Through the National Plan to End Homelessness and A Local Plan to End Homelessness, we are clear that services need to be designed to meet their needs.
The department recently published a new chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, which is available at Chapter 22: Young people, including those with care experience - Guidance - GOV.UK and we are developing a new youth homelessness tool kit to support local authorities to prevent young people from experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.