Homelessness, and rough sleeping in particular, remains a blight in our society. If the Government is seeking to “level up” the country then there is no better place to begin than with those at their lowest ebb – rough sleepers. I have been engaged in the sector for over 30 years, usually as a volunteer, helping out either on the streets at a soup kitchen or at a hostel. I have always believed that there is no reason why a country as wealthy as ours cannot end rough sleeping once and for all. In 2016, with the support of the Centre for Social Justice, Crisis and a Panel of Experts from the sector, which I chaired, I began to work on trying to find a more permanent solution to what looked like the endemic problem of rough sleeping.  We looked at best practices in the UK, the US and Europe. In particular, we focused on Finland’s ‘Housing First’ programme, which had all but eradicated rough sleeping. Housing First, does not set preconditions to housing, but recognises that many long-term ...