Crisis, a UKbased homelessness organisation that focuses on single homeless people, led a brave and innovative campaign to change the law in the UK. Their three years of campaigning led to victory – the Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force in April 2018. Under the new act, councils are obliged to offer help to all people – single or families – threatened with losing their homes.

“Now, we can no longer see the homeless as either deserving or undeserving of support,” says Matt Downie, the director of policy and external affairs at Crisis UK. “Embedded in the law is a universal principle – that everyone who is homeless should get some assistance and that everyone threatened with homelessness should be offered help to prevent it.”

The Homeless Persons Act was established in the United Kingdom 40 years ago, following a decade of campaigning. This act sets out what councils across the UK must do to help homeless people and gives the right to accommodation to some households. However, the Act prioritises families over single people, which means that over the last four decades, single homeless people have been affected the most. Many homeless organisations have encountered difficulties in addressing the consequences of the exclusion of single people in the Homeless Persons Act.

Crisis’ campaign very much had a story telling element woven into it. Its message was underpinned with real life 'mystery shopping' which involved undercover filming, as can be seen in this video:    • Young, Single and Homeless  |  BBC Ne...  

This grant falls under Oak’s Housing and Homelessness Programme, which focuses on preventing homelessness by funding sustainable solutions that improve the economic and social wellbeing of marginalised youth, adults and families. We have three priorities: promoting economic selfsufficiency; increasing the availability and supply of affordable housing; and preventing homelessness. The work of the Housing Alliance for Pennsylvania came under our priority area to improve the supply of lowincome housing and housing opportunity. You can find out more here: http://www.oakfnd.org/housingandhom...

Find out about Crisis UK here: https://www.crisis.org.uk/