Thread by @JenWilliamsMEN

I’m at an Andy Burnham speech about homelessness organised by @thefabians. He says given the talk of a climate change emergency, what about our homelessness emergency

‘I’m fed up of brexit being used as a convenient excuse for inaction on a range of issues...we’re in danger of sinking into a national malaise...where nothing gets fixed’

He says it costs almost the same to do something as to do nothing, in the long run. ‘I’m offering to work with the govt... and to demonstrate it makes financial as much as moral sense.’

‘I can say with genuine confidence that we are making progress,’ he says, having been for a walkabout this morning.

He is ‘determined’ to make sure his ‘bed every night’ programme is extended, going into phase two for the year from June. ‘We will be tightening our eligibility criteria,’ he says, including reconnecting people with their original area

This issue was mentioned in an update report to Manchester council in Feb, which noted large numbers of people being helped were from Liverpool manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-m…

(Among other places)

A Bed Every Night isn’t a replacement for other services; ‘it is not a solution on its own’. A system wide response is needed. ‘We need to turn off the taps.’

Universal Credit is one of the major drivers, he noted: govt needs to overhaul it. So is the home office’s ‘no recourse to public funds’ policy for failed asylum seekers, which he says particularly penalises GM

Which means that if GM is to continue accepting disproportionate numbers of asylum seekers, it needs help with homelessness funding, he says.

Meanwhile, although S21 evictions are to be banned by govt, that needs implementing ASAP, he says.

A new GM social lettings agency, which he is announcing today, will provide more stock for people in need of cheap rentals - 800 units in the first two years, he says. (I don’t know how this works so will look into it.)

Burnham: I’m often asked whether I’ll meet my election pledge of ending rough sleeping. The honest answer is I don’t know.

But he says the bed every night scheme is a step in the right direction; if it is shown to continue working, he will pledge next yr to make it permanent.

‘I hope people are getting the message this isn’t a passing fad or a PR stunt, it’s a personal journey for me... we will end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester, whatever it takes.’

A rough sleeper called Gary is asking a q of the panel. ‘I didn’t get into a bed every night because I’ve got mental health issues... I sleep on the streets every night...mental health issues need more help.’

This is something that’s been directly or indirectly referred to a few times today: ABEN now needs to be dealing with people with complex needs like mental health, addictions. Common criticism is that it doesn’t; Andy Burnham says phase two will address this

Various panel members also say the NHS is increasingly being brought into this programme. Jo Walby, CEO of @MustardTreeMCR, says she has herself had depression for years and noted one type of help won’t fit all. Atm though, help isn’t necessarily being done in a systematic way

(A side note on this: given that we have health devolution in Greater Manchester, if anyone can join this stuff up, it should be here.)

On Brexit, Burnham says to MPs in response to a q: ‘stop plotting in the tea rooms’ and get on with things.

When he says ‘national homeless emergency’, he says he means everywhere in the country should do what GM is doing with a bed every night

Stop using Brexit as an excuse, he says. ‘There’s no reason at all why they can’t take action on the things I’m talking about.’

Finally: a couple of qs that raise v important points. Risha at @Coffee4Craig points out a major issue is the state of B&B accommodation - something we’ve done tons on at the MEN. Also: a q on care leavers - so many young homeless people have been in care; what’s being done

Jo Walby makes a very interesting point re UC: locally, regional DWP leaders know that a major issue with the roll-out is IT; they need more powers giving to them by Whitehall, because they understand the problems.

Rev Ian Rutherford says ‘redundant’ faith sector buildings need to be put forward for temporary accommodation and so on. Other sectors need to do the same, he says

Dep council leader Sue Murphy says she is as worried about temporary accommodation as she is about rough sleeping. The council is facing an ‘unstoppable tide’ of demand, she says

Asked what he wants overall to support his attempts to end rough sleeping, Burnham concludes: ‘The benefit of the doubt.’