Liverpool City Council is strengthening its response to homelessness with the launch of a new five-year strategy and a plan to improve the quality and availability of temporary accommodation across the city.
The new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025–2030, which is being put forward for approval at the Council’s Cabinet meeting this evening, sets out a bold vision to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.
It has been developed in partnership with residents, local organisations and people with lived experience, and reflects the Council’s ambition to reduce harm, improve housing outcomes and support people to rebuild their lives.
The Council’s new approach to tackling homelessness will:
- Prioritise prevention and early support to stop people becoming homeless in the first place.
- Improve access to advice, housing and wraparound services.
- Strengthen partnerships with housing providers, charities, the NHS and community organisations.
- Provide more appropriate temporary housing that allows people to stay connected to family, work and education.
The strategy forms part of the Council’s wider commitment to supporting thriving communities and ensuring everyone has access to safe, sustainable and genuinely affordable homes.
The Council’s Cabinet will also consider proposals this evening to procure more suitable temporary and move-on accommodation to replace the current reliance on B&Bs and hotels, which are often expensive and unsuitable for people in crisis.
The proposed changes are intended to give families and individuals more stable places to live while long-term housing solutions are found, which will see the Council work closer with private sector partners to provide permanent homes.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Liverpool has risen in recent years.
As of the start of this month (July 2025), over 1,700 households were living in temporary accommodation, including more than 450 children. Many were placed in hotels or B&Bs due to a shortage of more appropriate housing options.
Consequently, the Council has seen temporary accommodation costs skyrocket from £250,000 in 2019, to a projected £28.4m by the end of this financial year (31st March 2026) – which is a rise of more than 11,100 per cent.
Councillor Hetty Wood, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Homelessness can affect anyone. Families in temporary accommodation, young people leaving care, people fleeing violence, refugees and those facing eviction all need our support.
“This new strategy is about prevention, dignity and long-term solutions. It’s also about listening to people with lived experience and making sure services respond to their needs. Everyone deserves somewhere safe to stay.”