Leicester’s Homelessness Charter came about because a number of organisations working in the field recognised that we can achieve more together than separately.
We wanted to ‘join the dots’, eliminate duplication and address the gaps in provision and support.
Led by the Diocese of Leicester and following a series of lively and well-attended workshops, the Charter was launched at Leicester Cathedral in November 2018. Its first signatories were the City Mayor, the Bishop of Leicester, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Dean of Leicester. Many others, including the Lord Lieutenant attended and also pledged their support.
Almost one year on, we have 150 signatories and 36 organisations actively working together. These include major institutions, businesses and statutory and voluntary sector bodies. There is greater understanding of who is doing what, and much better communication across the sector. Particular current objectives are:
- To ensure that anyone with no recourse to public funds has access to safe accommodation when needed;
- To increase the availability of affordable accommodation for those in housing need;
- To tackle rough sleeping to ensure no-one is sleeping on the streets;
- To improve local systems for homeless people through better partnerships and co-ordination;
- To ensure the voice of those with lived experience is at the heart of designing services for people who are homeless.
Read the text of the Leicester Homelessness Charter here.