A country where no one ends up on our streets

Homeless Link and the 500 homelessness agencies we represent have a simple vision – a country free of homelessness. A place where the right help at the right time stops homelessness before it begins, no one is left out or lives on our streets and anyone who is homeless is supported to take control of their own future.

The first step on the road to achieving this ambition is ending rough sleeping. Every night someone sleeps on our streets for the first time and this experience is damaging to both the person who is homeless and society. The longer someone stays out the more likely they are to be trapped on the streets where they are vulnerable to crime, drugs and alcohol problems, illness, mental health issues and dying prematurely.

We believe that to end rough sleeping society needs to focus its energy on meeting four simple pledges:
1. No one new to the streets should spend a second night out
2. No one should live on the streets
3. No one should return to the streets once they have been helped off
4. No one arrives on the streets in the first place

Achieving the first two pledges will mean we have successfully ended rough sleeping, but in the longer term we need to deliver pledges three and four – stronger prevention and support to stop people ending up on the streets or returning to the streets. While we have already made a lot of progress in reducing the number of rough sleepers, homelessness services are currently facing higher demand and reduced funding. This is a very challenging time but we believe by working together we can end rough sleeping.

At this year's Conservative party conference we are hosting a fringe meeting that will focus on these pledges and the government's strategy, 'Vision to ending rough sleeping: No Second Night Out'. This event invites local authority leaders and housing leads, MPs and voluntary sector organisations to come together to identify innovative and pioneering approaches at a local level, and to learn and share good practice.

We support the government's call for every local authority area to adopt the No Second Night Out standard as set out in their Vision document. Simply put, this means that anyone who ends up on the streets should get help so they don't spend a second night out. This means having the right services in place, so that:

• new rough sleepers are identified and helped off the streets immediately
• the public can alert services if they see anyone sleeping rough so they get help
• rough sleepers can go to a place of safety, where their needs can be assessed and they can get help
• rough sleepers are able to get emergency accommodation and other services they need
• rough sleepers from outside the area can be reconnected with their community, where they can be near family and friends, and can get housing and support.

We want to build on the momentum from the government's strategy to inspire people in every area to tackle rough sleeping and to commit to four simple pledges to end rough sleeping. Working together at a local level we believe we can end rough sleeping in this country once and for all.

The Homeless Link Conservative party fringe meeting is on Sunday October 2 from 17.30-19.00 at the Houghton Suite of the Midland Hotel. Speakers include the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, minister for housing and local government (confirmed), councillor Mike Jones (leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and member of the Local Government Association Environment and Housing Board (confirmed) and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London (TBC).

If you are interested in attending please contact Claire Burlinson.