We join our colleagues at Cymorth in welcoming, with enthusiasm, the new Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations (Wales) Bill. The bill makes it easier for people to seek help before their situation escalates. It amplifies the voices of people within homelessness support, and puts greater emphasis on prevention. 

We have previously responded to the public consultation on the Ending Homelessness White Paper. As then, we’re particularly pleased to see the definition of ‘threatened with homelessness’ extended from 56 days to six months. This extension is an important move for homelessness prevention.  

We also warmly welcome the removal of priority need and intentionality tests. These have previously risked people ‘falling between the gaps’ of narrow definitions and exceptions. This change removes a potential barrier to support. 

The emphasis on clear information, greater rights of people experiencing homelessness to challenge unsuitable support, and ‘ask and act’ duties for public services are important too. These changes will help people receive the support they need, when they need it – and before their situation worsens. This strengthens the overall move towards crisis prevention.  

We do have some concerns around the introduction of a ‘deliberate manipulation’ test, as explored in our original consultation response. There’s a risk that this could operate as a form of intentionality test, but further into the system.  

We’d also like to see, in future, a move towards the previously proposed widening of ‘local connection’ test exemptions. This will further reduce barriers to support for vulnerable people, including those struggling with their mental health.  

We’ll continue working alongside Members of the Senedd to share perspectives from our housing and homelessness support teams as the Bill progresses. 

Safety and security: mental health starts at home 

The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations (Wales) Bill is a hugely significant step in the right direction, and a pivotal moment for reducing risk of homelessness. Improving access to safe housing is a cornerstone of our collective wellbeing as a nation.  

A stated working principle of the housing bill is that homelessness services should be trauma-informed. Removing support hurdles for people struggling with their mental health moves the system as a whole closer to that goal. 

The need for a safe place to call ‘home’ is one of the starting points for positive mental health. If we have that security in place, we are far better able to connect with communities and people around us. And we’re better able, too, to take up opportunities, and to reach out for other support we may need.  

We have seen this consistently in our own support delivery over the past three decades. It’s no accident that, as a mental health charity, our roots lie in helping people leaving mental health support to return to their home and rejoin their community. 

In this way, improvements to housing and homelessness support – and reducing barriers to that support – can and should be considered an extension to the Welsh Government’s mental health and wellbeing strategy. The strategy is focused on making sure people have the conditions in their lives to support their own wellbeing – and that, to use a cliché, begins at home.