The Implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: An empirical study

In April 2017 the Homelessness Reduction Act received royal assent. In force from April 2018, this ambitious piece of legislative reform is intended to prevent and reduce homelessness by introducing new duties, and expanding existing duties, towards those who are homeless and threatened with homelessness. These changes are aimed at facilitating early intervention and increasing successful prevention and should ensure that all eligible applicants are provided with services beyond information and advice, at an earlier stage. This research aims to explore the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act from the ground. It will answer the primary research question: How do housing officers implement significant legislative developments?

Specific areas of interest will be:
How does the Homelessness Reduction Act interact with existing housing duties?
How do housing officers execute their new and expanded duties?
How do housing officers perceive their roles/goals after the Homelessness Reduction Act?

Research in this field is of great importance. Homeless individuals are among the most vulnerable groups in society, losing what they could previously take for granted: comfort, security, privacy. A large number of homeless people also have addictions, mental health conditions, disabilities, an institutional background, and have sometimes escaped situations of violence or suffered social displacement. Successive government pledges have been made to tackle homelessness, yet it continues to increase. The Homelessness Reduction Act represents the latest reform in attempts to reduce the incidence of homelessness and increase the support available to the homeless. In a period of continued austerity this piece of legislation stands out. Significant legislative changes have been implemented within recent years which materially alter the environment of the welfare state. A growing concern for 'welfare dependency' and a 'culture of worklessness' has led to successive legislative changes which promote an increase in individualism over state intervention, conditionality, and the increased privatisation of the citizens relationship with the state. Those engaging with state support services have experienced reductions in welfare receipt in the form of the benefit cap and the bedroom tax, restrictions on housing benefit in the form of the local housing allowance cap, and job-seekers now sign increasingly restrictive claimant commitments. The loss of secure lifetime tenancies in the social sector and the idealisation of home ownership has ostracised social housing and presents reliance on the state as a temporary last resort. Given these developments, the Homelessness Reduction Act on its face, with its new and expanded duties on local authorities to increase their role and responsibility in preventing and reducing homelessness, seems to contradict this trend and presents homelessness as an exception. It is therefore necessary to explore how the Homelessness Reduction Act is implemented within this conflicting climate and how housing officers perceive and manage their role. This is to be done through a qualitative methodology, conducting two ethnographic studies in two local authority housing departments for a period of approximately four months. Ethnography is a methodological framework which is utilised to explore group culture through the researching of behaviours, actions, beliefs and customs. It is based on the understanding that only through extended integration into the community of study can the reality of everyday lives be explored. Therefore, in order to explore the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, it is necessary to spend time with housing departments so the reality and culture of a housing officers work environment can be experienced.