Homelessness: Public Health
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) homelessness and (b) insecure accommodation on public health in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Government recognises that homelessness and rough sleeping numbers continue to remain high. That is why the Government is providing £255.5 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant so that local authorities can support people sleeping rough in their areas, including funding health‑led interventions, alongside a £69.9 million top‑up announced in October 2025 to tackle additional pressures.
Surrey County Council has undertaken a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, focused on housing and related support, funded by the Department through the Public Health Grant and carried out by health and wellbeing boards. The assessment is available at the following link:
https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/jsna/
The assessment requires a thorough analysis of the health and social care needs of local populations, identifying inequalities and wider determinants of health, such as housing. The assessment highlights how determinants such as housing conditions, including insecure housing and homelessness, impact health and wellbeing. This informs planning across health, social care, and housing to improve outcomes and address inequalities.
The Department is working to action the commitments made in A National Plan to End Homelessness, including ensuring that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay. The plan is available at the following link:
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