A new report – The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2015 – has stated that Wales’s approach to tackling homelessness is an example that should be followed by the rest of the UK.
Published by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the document supports Welsh laws for taking a proactive approach to tackling the country’s rate of homelessness, which is widely reported to be the lowest it has ever been.
Official bodies, including local authorities, have a legal duty to prevent people from living on the streets by offering support when possible, under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.
However, new laws could soon allow landlords to evict a tenant during the first six months of their lease, which the report states could have a negative impact on the positive work that has been done.
Julia Unwin, head of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “We’re concerned about the growing number of people in Wales who rent their home privately face having even less security”.
Welsh officials have dismissed the claim and argued that the rule change will actually enable more people to rent rather than live on the streets, as landlords will be more confident to let property to tenants that would traditionally be considered as high risk.
The two charities have also raised concerns that the UK Government’s welfare and housing benefit reforms, including the ‘bedroom tax’, will have a negative impact.
The Department for Work and Pensions has argued that it has ensured there is an appropriate level of funding available to help with the transition to new welfare rules.