Going Beyond: Homeless Link Practice Podcast
Oct 12, 2026 · 26 min · 8 segments
In this episode, we reflect on the recent Labour Party Conference and discuss what the change in Prime Minister means for tacking homelessness.
Jo TurnerHostI mean, what stood out to me without doubt is the way that homelessness was really on the agenda in the way that it simply hasn't been in recent years.
Recently, we would have had fringy events happening about housing, but they would very much have been about housing supply, about planning policy, and not really about homelessness, and particularly not about single homelessness.
Undoubtedly, the highlight for me was Andy Burnham's speech, where he, he stood up right near the start of his speech and confirmed that Everyone In was now a permanent national policy position.
It's hard to imagine that happening at a Labor Party conference in recent years.
I think for me, just to build on that, I was really struck by the nuance of conversation around homelessness this year and the kind of the, the recognition of the connection between different parts of the system.
I don't think I've ever been at a Labor Party conference or any political event where we're talking about homelessness and rough sleeping, and social care is brought into the conversation very naturally, and the role that, you know, we need the health and social care, and particularly the adult social care system to be playing, but also supported housing.
And all of those things being talked about collectively as part of a solution to tackling homelessness without it being forced, without that coming from people like myself who are in the audience who might ask questions.
That was coming from the panel and coming from both the ministers on the panel, the MPs on the panel, but also the, the other participants.
And I think that's a real shift in framing and conversation and understanding of the issue.
It's not, it's not just talking about homelessness in relation to housing supply, which is also, you know, it's important.
And we've started touching on this already, but with the change in prime minister, is there anything else that felt noticeably different about the conversation around homelessness at the conference?
I would say that that's probably true of his approach across a number of policy areas, that it really felt like Labor now has a leader who leads based on his values and beliefs and long-term aspirations.
You know, I think that's true of, uh, a number of leaders of other political parties as well, but it is a distinct difference from his predecessor, who was perhaps more rooted in practicalities and the day-to-day, rather than a long-term vision and a boldness.
He talked a lot about his speech being a very different kind of speech, and I, I think there's some truth in that.
Um, so yeah, was it about the vibes? Maybe it was about the vibes, but I think the vibes matter.
I think they do, because I think it was an energy in the room around this conversation.
Of course, we need detail as to what, what is going to be done and what this actually means for the, the, the s- the delivery on the ground.
But none of that matters or will happen if you don't have the ambition and the leadership that comes from the top, and that's what felt different this year, that, you know, you had it from Andy Burnham.
I mean, what stood out to me without doubt is the way that homelessness was really on the agenda in the way that it simply hasn't been in recent years.
Recently, we would have had fringy events happening about housing, but they would very much have been about housing supply, about planning policy, and not really about homelessness, and particularly not about single homelessness.
Undoubtedly, the highlight for me was Andy Burnham's speech, where he, he stood up right near the start of his speech and confirmed that Everyone In was now a permanent national policy position.
It's hard to imagine that happening at a Labor Party conference in recent years.
I think for me, just to build on that, I was really struck by the nuance of conversation around homelessness this year and the kind of the, the recognition of the connection between different parts of the system.
I don't think I've ever been at a Labor Party conference or any political event where we're talking about homelessness and rough sleeping, and social care is brought into the conversation very naturally, and the role that, you know, we need the health and social care, and particularly the adult social care system to be playing, but also supported housing.
And all of those things being talked about collectively as part of a solution to tackling homelessness without it being forced, without that coming from people like myself who are in the audience who might ask questions.
That was coming from the panel and coming from both the ministers on the panel, the MPs on the panel, but also the, the other participants.
And I think that's a real shift in framing and conversation and understanding of the issue.
It's not, it's not just talking about homelessness in relation to housing supply, which is also, you know, it's important.
And we've started touching on this already, but with the change in prime minister, is there anything else that felt noticeably different about the conversation around homelessness at the conference?
I would say that that's probably true of his approach across a number of policy areas, that it really felt like Labor now has a leader who leads based on his values and beliefs and long-term aspirations.
You know, I think that's true of, uh, a number of leaders of other political parties as well, but it is a distinct difference from his predecessor, who was perhaps more rooted in practicalities and the day-to-day, rather than a long-term vision and a boldness.
He talked a lot about his speech being a very different kind of speech, and I, I think there's some truth in that.
Um, so yeah, was it about the vibes? Maybe it was about the vibes, but I think the vibes matter.
I think they do, because I think it was an energy in the room around this conversation.
Of course, we need detail as to what, what is going to be done and what this actually means for the, the, the s- the delivery on the ground.
But none of that matters or will happen if you don't have the ambition and the leadership that comes from the top, and that's what felt different this year, that, you know, you had it from Andy Burnham.
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