Five-year homelessness strategy acknowledges the problem, MHK says

The five-year strategy was approved by Tynwald members

A plan to tackle homelessness acknowledges there is a problem, the Manx government's housing lead said.

The Homelessness Strategy 2023-28, which outlines a need for overnight accommodation, was backed by Tynwald.

David Ashford said the document aimed to "define, plan and coordinate" a response, recognising that "support is more than just a home".

It has five key focus areas, which are clear pathways, legislation, core data, needs assessment and prevention.

The Housing and Communities Board has a budget of £3m to deliver the strategy, working alongside Manx Care, the Department of Infrastructure, Public Health and the Department of Home Affairs.

Mr Ashford, who is chairman of the board, said the clear pathways focus laid out the "need to establish accessible routes from homelessness to suitable and affordable housing".

One of its objectives was to establish emergency overnight provision, after the island's only night shelter closed last year.

Lack of data

Through legislation, a "proper definition of homelessness" would be written that would give every resident the legal right to housing, Mr Ashford continued.

He said gauging the "extent and the scale of the problem" was one of the biggest challenges the board faced due to "a distinct lack of accurate data".

For that reason, creating a core data source was a priority within the plan, to keep a record of the number of homeless people, as well as those at risk, he said.

He said the strategy was a "huge piece of work" that would not be developed quickly, but the island needed to "start on this journey now".

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