The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study

This thesis is a socio-legal study of the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, an ambitious piece of legislative reform introducing new statutory duties on local authorities in England to intervene earlier to prevent and relieve homelessness. It analyses original findings from in-d...

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Main Author: Reeson, Carla
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/72990/
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author Reeson, Carla
author_facet Reeson, Carla
author_sort Reeson, Carla
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This thesis is a socio-legal study of the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, an ambitious piece of legislative reform introducing new statutory duties on local authorities in England to intervene earlier to prevent and relieve homelessness. It analyses original findings from in-depth ethnographic case studies in two local authority housing departments in the Midlands to explore how the Act was implemented on the frontline. It utilises a Foucauldian theoretical framework to explore how new duties are performed, how housing officers perceive their role after the Act, and how homelessness and the individual experiencing homelessness are governed. The thesis finishes by concluding that while the Act is a step in the right direction, it struggles to deliver on its bold title, failing to make any substantial strides in reducing homelessness. There is a clear need for a much broader policy response - working to improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of accommodation, working to address the root causes of homelessness, and to ensure a robust welfare safety net, before local authority duties can be performed in such a way as to substantively reduce homelessness.
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spelling nottingham-729902025-08-01T04:30:06Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/72990/ The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study Reeson, Carla This thesis is a socio-legal study of the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, an ambitious piece of legislative reform introducing new statutory duties on local authorities in England to intervene earlier to prevent and relieve homelessness. It analyses original findings from in-depth ethnographic case studies in two local authority housing departments in the Midlands to explore how the Act was implemented on the frontline. It utilises a Foucauldian theoretical framework to explore how new duties are performed, how housing officers perceive their role after the Act, and how homelessness and the individual experiencing homelessness are governed. The thesis finishes by concluding that while the Act is a step in the right direction, it struggles to deliver on its bold title, failing to make any substantial strides in reducing homelessness. There is a clear need for a much broader policy response - working to improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of accommodation, working to address the root causes of homelessness, and to ensure a robust welfare safety net, before local authority duties can be performed in such a way as to substantively reduce homelessness. 2023-07-24 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/72990/1/Submission%20-%20edits%20-%20THE%20IMPLEMENTATION%20OF%20THE%20HOMELESSNESS%20REDUCTION%20ACT%202017.pdf Reeson, Carla (2023) The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Ethnography Homelessness Public Authorities Law in Action Homelessness--Law and legislation--England
spellingShingle Ethnography
Homelessness
Public Authorities
Law in Action
Homelessness--Law and legislation--England
Reeson, Carla
The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title_full The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title_fullStr The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title_full_unstemmed The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title_short The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: an empirical study
title_sort implementation of the homelessness reduction act 2017: an empirical study
topic Ethnography
Homelessness
Public Authorities
Law in Action
Homelessness--Law and legislation--England
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/72990/