There are fears that the act does not address the underlying factors driving homelessness. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock
Cash-strapped councils in England now have legal duty to assist all eligible homeless citizens
Spiralling rents, welfare reforms and council funding cuts will undermine the impact of the most significant new homelessness legislation for 40 years, charities have said.
There is consensus among campaigners and local authorities that the Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force on Tuesday and imposes legal duties on English councils to take positive steps to prevent and relieve homelessness, is a welcome and positive move.
However, there are fears that the act imposes costly new duties on councils at a time when they face drastic funding cuts, and does nothing to confront the underlying factors driving homelessness such as housing benefit cuts, lack of affordable housing and insecure private sector tenancies.
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