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Homeless Link
National membership organisation for homelessness charities in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Homeless Link is a national membership charity for homelessness organisations in England. It serves as an umbrella body for frontline organisations and individuals across the UK. It campaigns for policy changes that aim to end homelessness and provides its members with training, consultancy, and specialised software. It has over 800 organisations and individuals as part of its membership.[2][3][4]
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History
Homeless Link was incorporated as a charity on 31 October 2001.[1]
Jenny Edwards was appointed Chief Executive of Homeless Link in 2004 with Rick Henderson taking over in July 2012 and remaining in this position since.[5][6]
Jamie Burton KC was appointed as the new Chair of the organisation in January 2025, taking over from Anne McLaughlin who had served a full three-year term.[7]
Services and initiatives
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In March 2022, Homeless Link announced that it had been awarded the contract to manage the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) system starting in April 2022 for an initial three year contract. CHAIN is a multi-agency database that maintains records of rough sleeping across London.[8]
The organisation receives funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support local authorities in England in undertaking estimations of the number of rough sleepers on a typical night between 1 October and 30 November each year.[9]
Homeless Link maintains Homeless England, the most comprehensive database of homelessness services across all areas of England.[10]
The organisation manages and administers The Homewards Fund, in partnership with the Royal Foundation. The stated aim of the initiative is to provide funding across a five-year period to support the delivery of an action plan to reduce homelessness in six locations: Lambeth, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Newport, Northern Ireland, Aberdeen, and Sheffield.[11]
In December 2024, Homeless Link launched the 'Reset Homelessness' campaign, which was based on their report called 'Breaking the cycle: Delivering a homelessness funding system that works for all'. Working in partnership with Inside Housing magazine, the campaign called for a systemic review of homelessness funding in England.[12]
Research and advocacy
Homeless Link produces an annual report into the support available for single homeless people in England. The report provides an independent assessment into the needs and demographics of single people accessing homelessness services and the availability of these services.[13][14]
Homeless Link's research has documented significant changes in homelessness services, with their 2023 survey showing a 40% reduction in accommodation projects for single homeless people in England when compared with comparable figures in 2008.[12]
The charity's research on the Housing First initiative found that 55% of people included in the study had improved mental health and 39% had improved physical health after three years of gaining access to their accommodation.[15] Also, Homeless Link worked with Crisis in 2018 to produce a report detailing the necessary conditions for the successful delivery of the Housing First initiative in England, Scotland, and Wales.[16]
References
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