The Homelessness Reduction Bill has now become law, placing a new duty on councils to intervene at an earlier stage to prevent homelessness.
The bill received cross-party support.
Under the new legislation councils will have to intervene to prevent homelessness 56 days beforehand and they will have to support those who previously were not considered in priority need, such as single people. It will also be easier for people applying for support from the council to appeal a decision that denies them support.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said in Inside Housing:
“The Homelessness Reduction Act is a crucial step forward in fighting homelessness. For 40 years we’ve had a system that fails too many homeless people by turning them away from help when they need it most. We’d like to thank the peers and MPs from across the political spectrum who came together to back this bill, as well as government ministers for their leadership.
“But this act is by no means a cure-all and, at a time when the number of people sleeping on our streets continues to rise at an alarming rate, we are calling on all political parties to commit to ending rough sleeping in their upcoming manifestos.
“The success of the Homelessness Reduction Act shows what can be achieved when the political will exists to tackle the root causes of homelessness. Whoever wins the general election must make ending rough sleeping a top priority once they are elected.