On 16th February 2026, hearings began for Module 10 of the Covid-19 Inquiry examining the ‘Impact on society’. This included the publication of a roundtable summary report into the pandemic’s impact on the housing and homelessness sector, which St Mungo’s contributed towards.
Responding to the summary report, Sean Palmer, Executive Director of St Mungo’s, said:
“The publication of the Housing and Homelessness Roundtable Summary Report as part of Covid-19 Inquiry Module 10 marks an important moment of reflection for everyone committed to ending homelessness in the UK. It brings together the key lessons from the sector’s extraordinary response during Covid?19 and shows that, even in the most challenging circumstances, meaningful and rapid change is possible.
The ‘Everyone In’ initiative was a landmark government intervention that ensured people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of it, were brought into emergency accommodation during the pandemic. In a homelessness system where too many people fall through the gaps, it created – for a time – a safety net for everyone affected by homelessness regardless of what eligibility they previously had to homelessness support.
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of St Mungo’s colleagues and volunteers, and partners across civil society and government, thousands of people were given a safe place to stay during lockdown and vital support. It proved that bold, rapid, and collaborative action works for an issue as significant as homelessness.
However, since ‘Everyone in’ ended, homelessness levels are continuing to rise steadily – this is deeply concerning for the sector and the people it supports. The report’s recommendations must now prompt a renewed sense of urgency to recreate the same ambition and cross-sector collaboration across the entire recovery journey, from that first move off the streets to finding a place that someone can finally call their own.
The Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness shows its ambition to achieve this, but meaningful, long-term investment in the sector will be essential to turn that ambition into lasting change.”
You can read the report in full here
