Housing First is a way of helping people who sleep rough or have been homeless for a long time. It gives them a stable home straight away. They do not have
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Housing First is a way of helping people who sleep rough or have been homeless for a long time. It gives them a stable home straight away. They do not have to join treatment programmes first. They do not have to stay sober first. This page explains how it works, who it is for, and how to find out if it is available where you live.
What is Housing First?
Older ways of helping homeless people often work like a staircase. People move through hostels and supported housing. They have to prove they are ready to live on their own. Only then do they get a permanent home. Housing First flips this around. It gives you a settled, ordinary home from the very start. The home is the first step, not the reward at the end.
The idea is simple. A stable home is the base that everything else is built on. It is much harder to recover from addiction when you have no home. It is much harder to get help for mental illness. It is much harder to rebuild your relationships. All of this is harder from the street or from temporary and emergency housing.
The key principles
Housing First services in England usually follow a set of principles that are recognised around the world:
- Immediate access to permanent housing: You do not have to be sober, drug-free, or ready for treatment before you are housed
- Ordinary housing in the community: Not big shared or institutional places, but normal homes in normal neighbourhoods
- Choice and control: You have a say in where you live and what support you get
- Flexible support, for as long as needed: Strong support is there for as long as you want it, but you do not have to accept it
- Separation of housing and support: Your tenancy does not depend on you using support services. If you say no to support, you keep your home
Who is Housing First for?
Housing First is for people with many complex needs. These are people who have been homeless for a long time, or again and again. They have not been able to keep a home through other routes. This often includes people with:
- Severe mental ill health
- Problems with drugs or alcohol
- A history of trauma or hard experiences in childhood
- Contact with the criminal justice system
- A pattern of losing tenancies in supported or temporary housing
It is not meant to be a homelessness fix for everyone. If you have just become homeless and your needs are less complex, other routes may suit you better. These include the housing register or temporary accommodation.
How to access Housing First
Councils and combined authorities set up Housing First services in their area. Charities and housing associations then run them. How much is on offer changes a lot from place to place.
To find out if Housing First is available where you live:
- Contact your local council's homelessness team: Ask if there are Housing First places, and if you or someone you know might be able to get one
- Contact a local homelessness charity: Groups such as St Mungo's, Change Grow Live, and local YMCA branches may run Housing First programmes
- Speak to your key worker or support worker: If you already deal with a homelessness service, they can tell you what is on offer locally
Housing First and tenancy rights
If you are placed in a Housing First home, you are a tenant. You have the same rights as any other tenant. This includes the right to a home that is in good repair and fit to live in. The home may have damp, mould, broken heating, or other disrepair. If it does, your landlord has a legal duty to fix it. This is true whether your landlord is a council, a housing association, or a private landlord.
Living with complex needs does not reduce your housing rights.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
You may be in any kind of rented housing, including a Housing First placement. Your home may be in disrepair that your landlord has not fixed. If so, call us on 0800 030 4669. We can check whether you have a claim, whatever your situation or benefit status.
No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Sources
- Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
Related articles
- Homeless or being evicted, what to do
- Temporary accommodation, your rights
- Priority need, homeless, what counts?
- Where to get other housing help
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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