To support the Welsh Government in achieving their ambition to end homelessness in Wales, Miller Research was commissioned in Autumn 2023 by Welsh Government to analyse responses to the public consultation on the White Paper for ending homelessness in Wales.
The White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales sets out a range of proposals which form part of a long-term transformation strategy to end homelessness in Wales as set out in the Programme for Government and Cooperation Agreement.
The consultation sought comprehensive feedback across the five main themes of the White Paper, which are:
- reform of existing core homelessness legislation
- the role of the Welsh public service in preventing homelessness
- targeted proposals to prevent homelessness for those disproportionately affected
- access to housing
- implementation
The White Paper proposals are intended to support the Welsh Government’s aim that homelessness is prevented in the vast majority of cases and, where it cannot be prevented, it is rare, brief and unrepeated.
Due to the legislative complexity of the White Paper, the consultation document was 168 pages in length and posed 28 questions, prompting detailed and nuanced responses from stakeholders.
Miller Research worked closely with Welsh Government to produce an analysis which captured the sentiments of responses, provided a quantitative analysis (where possible), and included the well-considered and thoughtful qualitative answers provided across a range of stakeholder groups.
Generally, respondents welcomed the ambition of the White Paper and agreed the proposals provide appropriate measures to support the prevention and relief of homelessness in Wales. Responses reflected a widespread, shared commitment to working with the Welsh Government to further develop the proposals and achieve a holistic, multi-agency approach to address the complex causes and effects of homelessness.
This sentiment however, was, however, underpinned with requests for caution, particularly from local authority and RSL respondents. In most cases, responses that expressed support for the proposals were heavily caveated by a recognition of the scale of resource as well as the widespread cultural change, which stakeholders perceive to be necessary in order to achieve the shared vision of the White Paper.
Miller Research produced a report (published here) which provided a detailed summary of the 140 responses.