Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy

Summary of Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy and Commitments

Summary 

Homelessness and Rough sleeping remain some of the biggest challenges we face in Brent. We are still facing high numbers of people presenting as homeless or at risk of homelessness, and the shortage of affordable housing makes it harder for families and individuals to find somewhere stable to live. 

Many residents are finding it harder to keep up with rent and bills, making it difficult to afford the homes that are available and putting real pressure on households in Brent.

On top of these challenges, councils everywhere are under huge financial pressure. In Brent, we need to save £28 million over the next three years, while still making sure residents get the essential services they rely on.

This strategy sets out how we will respond over the next five years. Together, we will deliver our Preventing Homelessness programme. This programme of work includes activities and initiatives to improve services, strengthen prevention from people becoming homeless and reduce reliance on expensive temporary housing.

Our aim is simple: everyone in Brent deserves a safe, stable home and the right support to keep it. To achieve this, we will:

• Understand the challenge better by listening to people with lived experience and using good quality data to guide decisions.

• Focus on prevention, making sure every contact counts and people get help earlier, before they reach crisis.

• Increase access to affordable, stable housing by building new homes, working with housing associations, and improving standards in the private rented sector.

• Reduce the use of temporary accommodation and improve the quality and support for those who need it.

• Strengthen partnerships with local organisations, community groups and the Homelessness Forum so we can work together to tackle homelessness more effectively.

The strategy has been shaped by feedback from residents, people with lived experience, our partners and council officers working directly with people affected by homelessness. Delivering it will take collaboration, new ideas, and a continued focus on prevention but by working together, we can make real progress in reducing homelessness in Brent

Commitments

Commitment 1

We seek to fully understand the challenge of homelessness in Brent and how it is experienced by different individuals so we can develop informed, targeted solutions, and continually improve the quality of the services we deliver.

Everyone’s experience of homelessness is different. To prevent it and support those at risk, we need to understand both the data and the lived experiences of residents. This means combining reliable information with real stories to make sure our services are responsive, person-centred and empathetic.

To achieve this, we will:

• Keep embedding clear service standards that promote respect and empathy, reduce stigma, and support frontline officers to deliver person-centred services that improve residents’ experiences.

• Strengthen how we collect and use data, making sure quality is maintained so we can spot trends, make informed decisions, and target resources effectively.

• Develop better digital tools and dashboards to build a clearer picture of who is approaching us, why they are becoming homeless, and what helps prevent homelessness or leads to positive outcomes.

• Continue work already underway to engage people with lived experience of homelessness, co-producing services and solutions with them, and working closely with community and voluntary sector partners.

• Expand the ways we gather feedback – from surveys, reviewing complaints and use this insight to shape improvements and track progress.

• Provide more training for officers so they feel confident giving tailored, trauma-informed advice and support to individuals and groups with different needs.

• Keep working with the Homelessness Forum to better understand and support residents with complex needs in a more joined-up way.

Commitment 2

Our services are prevention focused and we offer the right advice and support for those who need it.

Preventing homelessness is always better than dealing with a crisis. Every contact with the Council should count – giving residents the right advice and support, at the right time, to stop homelessness before it happens.

To achieve this we will: 

• Act earlier to prevent homelessness, using data to spot where residents may be at risk so we can step in with the right support before a crisis.

• Run initiatives across Council services to build awareness of homelessness pressures, how to recognise when someone might be at risk, and what support is available.

• Make sure our services work better together, so households get joined-up support that looks at the whole picture (e.g. employment, training, and debt advice alongside housing).

• Keep improving our communications and outreach, including online information, so residents know what help is available and how to access it. We’ll also make sure information is accessible, culturally appropriate, and available in multiple languages.

Commitment Three

We work to increase the supply of and access to stable and affordable homes across the borough. 

 At the heart of homelessness is the housing crisis. In Brent, house prices are almost double the national average and have more than doubled since 2005. Rents have also risen steeply, with average costs up 50% since 2015. By the end of 2024, rent for a typical one-bedroom flat in Brent was taking up most of an average salary.

This makes finding and keeping a home unaffordable for many. Loss of a private rented tenancy remains the main reason people come to us for help. While the upcoming ban on no-fault evictions should ease some pressure, we know more is needed.

To achieve this, we will: 

• Building more affordable homes through Brent’s own new build programme. , providing new affordable homes across the borough that effectively meet local need in accordance with the annual lettings plan.

• Supporting housing associations and registered providers to deliver new homes that meet local need.

• Expanding access to private rented homes through schemes like Capital Letters and i4B.

• Working with landlords to help tenants stay in their homes and improve housing standards.

• Preparing for the Renters Rights Bill to give renters more stability and protection.

Commitment Four

We minimise the use of temporary accommodation, but where this is unavoidable, work to improve the quality of accommodation offered, reduce the cost, and keep the stay as stable and as short as possible.

Temporary accommodation is not only very expensive for the council, it can also have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of residents.

In Brent, the number of households in Temporary accommodation has risen from 2,088 in September 2019 to 2,400 in August 2025. The use of B&Bs has grown sharply, from 49 households in August 2019 to 208 in August 2025.

We are committed to reducing the use of Temporary accommodation overall, and to ending the use of B&Bs completely especially for families and pregnant women, so that no child’s quality of life is affected by shared facilities and inadequate accommodation.

Where Temporary accommodation is unavoidable, we will focus on reducing the length of stay, improving quality, and making sure residents can access the right support to move on to safe, long-term housing.

To achieve this, we will:

• Develop a plan to end the use of B&Bs, including securing more long-term leased accommodation and identifying opportunities for residents to move out of temporary accommodation.

• Continue prioritising social housing for those at risk of homelessness, while recognising demand is much higher than the number of social housing homes available.

• Work with providers and partners to improve the quality of Temporary accommodation, making sure people with complex needs get the right type of supported accommodation.

• Ensure people in Temporary accommodation are being connected to wider support such as employment, training, and debt advice to help them move on.

• Gather regular feedback from Temporary accommodation residents and use this feedback to improve services.

Commitment Five

We continue to work with partners from across the borough to ensure we’re doing all that we can collectively to address homelessness. 

Brent Council is not alone in this work. Across the borough, community and voluntary organisations, faith groups and other partners are supporting people who are homeless or at risk every day.

We’ve made good progress in recent years at joining up efforts, but we know we can go further. Stronger collaboration will help us:

• Spot people at risk of homelessness earlier, including those who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

• Provide better support to people with complex needs.

• Improve access to stable, affordable homes and reduce time spent in temporary accommodation.

By working together, we can make sure no one is left behind.

To achieve this, we will:

• Continue working closely with Brent’s Homelessness Forum, using their insight to better understand and respond to complex needs.

• Strengthen partnerships with voluntary organisations, community groups, faith groups and providers, to deliver more joined-up services address the complex needs of those experiencing homelessness. 

• Lead work with the Brent Homelessness Forum and other community and voluntary sector partners to develop a borough-wide prevention framework.

• Explore opportunities to co-locate services and share data (where appropriate) so support is more joined up and easier to access.