Breaking the cycle of homelessness
Homelessness extends far beyond rough sleeping and can impact anyone, often without warning. It is frequently hidden, such as sofa surfing, encompassing individuals living in insecure, inadequate, or unsanitary housing, as well as those affected by domestic abuse.
Proactive work to break the cycle of homelessness for vulnerable people and ensure support is accessible, effective, and timely is the focus of a new council strategy. Following a public consultation held in May and June, a new Joint Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy has been put in place by South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse district councils.
Despite the demand for homeless services increasing locally and nationally*, the councils manage to keep homelessness levels low through working closely with every individual at risk of homelessness to help them find sustainable accommodation. Homeless prevention rates are currently at 79 per cent in South Oxfordshire and 70 per cent in the Vale compared to 52 per cent in the South East**.
M Hussain and family said: “I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the hard work and effort you and your entire team put into helping us find shelter. We truly appreciate your dedication and support during this difficult time.”
Becky from Didcot was helped to find a home and said: “I just wanted to say again how thankful and grateful we are as a family to have had you as our housing officer at such a low point in my life. You were empathic, patient, warm and you made that really dark place a bit easier to cope with.”
Cllr Andy Crawford, Cabinet Member for Housing at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “This strategy sets out a clear vision for how we will shape our services to better meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable residents.
“Our partnership approach to tackling homelessness and ending rough sleeping is essential. Strengthening close, collaborative working with our partners in health, criminal justice, the Department for Work and Pensions, social care services and local agencies will help those who have multiple and complex needs.
“Minimising the use of temporary accommodation, which can be disruptive to people’s lives, especially for children, is also an important part of our work to tackle homelessness.
“We continue to source long-term, affordable homes for people who are at risk of becoming homeless – helping to provide stability and security and reduce the need for temporary accommodation.”
Cllr Maggie-Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet Member for Housing at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “We continually support many families and individuals who face multiple challenges and difficult circumstances in their lives to find sustainable, secure accommodation.
“This work also includes working closely with those who are most vulnerable to prevent homelessness at the earliest possible stage and reduce rough sleeping to the absolute minimum. Often multiple and complex health needs can lead to a risk of homelessness – and these difficulties, combined with limited access to support, can create and perpetuate a cycle of homelessness for those who are most vulnerable that is difficult to escape from.
“Our new strategy lays out the proactive steps we take to break the cycle of homelessness and ensure that the support people need is available and accessed quickly and effectively.
The councils continue to purchase property to be used as temporary accommodation, and this will lead to a reduction in the need for B&Bs. Latest figures (Q1 April – June 2025) show that in the South East more than 50 per cent of people registered as homeless stayed in nightly paid or B&B accommodation, whereas in South Oxfordshire the figure was 16 per cent and the Vale 12 per cent.
The strategy includes identifying issues early on such as ‘hidden homelessness’ and sofa surfing – as eviction by family and friends is the top reason for home loss in the districts.***
The continued focus on early homelessness prevention, working closely with every individual at risk of homelessness to help them find sustainable accommodation has yielded high prevention rates. The councils’ outreach service will continue to proactively identify any rough sleepers without delay, ensuring that they receive specialist advice and support.
See the council’s website for the new strategy and help with homelessness whitehorsedc.gov.uk/housing
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Notes to editors
* 46 per cent rise in main duty homeless acceptances between September 2024 and September 2025 in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse
Nationally: 131,140 households were in temporary accommodation in March 2025, which is an increase of 11.8 per cent from 31 March 2024. (gov.uk)
** Most recent published homelessness prevention figures: Q1 25/26 – South East = 52 per cent; South Oxon = 79 per cent; Vale = 70 per cent source: Tables on homelessness – GOV.UK
*** Press release – Vale of White Horse: Councils prevent rise in local homelessness despite an increase in demand on services
Links to the new strategy are on this web page: https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-district-council/housing/are-you-homeless/
