New social housing tests will be detrimental to vulnerable young people

In January, the housing minister made an announcement with divisive calls to put people born in the UK first on the list. Beneath the headline lurked a consultation document which sent a wave of concern through services supporting vulnerable young people.

The government wants every local authority in England to enforce rigid new tests before housing people. If this happens, it will be much harder for young people with experiences of homelessness to find somewhere safe and sustainable to live, putting further pressure on local authorities already buckling under immense financial problems.

Back in 2011, the coalition government said it was handing power back to local people to run neighbourhoods their own way. While the success of the Localism Act is far from proven these new proposals throw away that ambition, replacing it with a top down, one size fits all approach which will be particularly damaging to homeless young people.

Beyond the headlines generated, it's hard to see what use these proposals serve. That’s especially true with the new, tougher Local Connection Test.

It makes little sense to strengthen the already rigid rules which councils are very quick to apply to reduce waiting lists. In some cases, passing on their responsibilities and statutory duties. Applicants will need to have spent even more time in the local authority area. It should be obvious young people with experiences of homelessness often can’t stay in the same place for a consistent amount of time, let alone the two years required. It doesn’t seem obvious to ministers. There will be an exemption for care leavers but for other vulnerable young people there’s nothing but the risk they’ll simply slip through the net.

Look even deeper and this plan has equally worrying provisions around anti-social behaviour, including the introduction of a specific ASB Test and new Grounds for Eviction.

Those familiar with recent government policy announcements may have spotted a trend. Just like the Criminal Justice Bill and Renters’ Reform Bill, these tests rely on provocative yet legally abstract language that risk dictating and diminishing people’s life chances. Applied here the result will be young people being indefinitely denied social housing or kicking them out of the home they’ve managed to secure.

When difficulties arise it’s vital there is a proper process - but we know young people are often penalised for mistakes they don’t realise amount to breaking the law. We’re stuck with decades’ old definitions, covering actions “capable of causing nuisance or annoyance”, but no investment in mediation for landlords, tenants and communities to resolve their differences and for timely, support-led interventions. These conversations are vital. At Centrepoint, we’ve seen survivors of domestic violence thrown out of social homes because of the cost of damage done by their abusers.

Without processes aimed at reducing evictions, we’re just going to keep perpetuating homelessness.

The young people we support want independence. After years of trauma, they’re looking for a fresh start. It’s our job to help them achieve that, but these tests will make it much more difficult. We don’t need the latest housing minister’s cynical “new crackdowns” to cut waiting lists, we need politicians that will actively prioritise the building of truly affordable housing. Until this happens, young people who have experienced homelessness will continue to face the trauma of having no place to call home.

Alicia Walker is head of policy, research and campaigns at Centrepoint.