Written by Dr Júlia Tomás, Human Trafficking Policy and Research Manager at The Passage and in partnership with the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (MSPEC), led by the University of Oxford.
Our new report explores housing challenges faced by people recovering from exploitation and offers practical recommendations to improve pathways to stability.
Modern slavery and homelessness are deeply connected issues affecting thousands in the UK.
Survivors often face complex trauma, stigma, and significant barriers that make stable accommodation difficult to access. Even with policy progress, many are still at risk of homelessness, which undermines recovery and reintegration.
Reports from The Passage have shown that modern slavery is closely related to homelessness, placing the housing sector in a pivotal role for identifying and supporting survivors. Drawing on more than five years of operational experience, our Modern Slavery Service has found that 94% of survivors supported through its programme have experienced homelessness either as a direct consequence of exploitation or in its aftermath.
This new report explores the housing challenges survivors face – especially those who only receive outreach support under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). Based on survivor testimony, frontline practice, and local authority experience, it highlights how existing systems can exclude people from safe accommodation and recommends changes to better support survivors across the UK.
We are also publishing a supplementary policy brief examining the experiences and housing outcomes of survivors who choose not to enter the *National Referral Mechanism (NRM). This brief explores the unique barriers faced by non‑NRM survivors and sets out recommendations to ensure they can access safe, appropriate, and timely housing support.
Key findings
- MSVCC outreach support is inconsistent.
- Access to MSVCC accommodation may be restricted based on interpretations of housing entitlements.
- Survivors with complex needs may face restrictions when accessing MSVCC safehouse accommodation.
- Local authority responses are inconsistent and fragmented.
- Risk and Needs Assessments sometimes lack trauma-informed depth.
- Statutory guidance fails to reflect lived realities.
- Data and training gaps undermine accountability.
- Survivors are experts in their own recovery.
Our recommendations
The recommendations set out here are practical, achievable, and capable of making a real difference. If implemented, they will strengthen the UK’s response to modern slavery and help ensure that survivors are not left without the housing and support they need.
- Shape the amendment of Chapter 25 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance.
- Clarify the MSVCC Assessing Destitution Guidance by stating it is for pre-Reasonable Grounds decision only.
- Publish housing status data for survivors.
- Embed housing suitability assessments into the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.
- Introduce “modern slavery” as a recognised category on housing application forms.
- Enforce minimum face-to-face contact requirements in MSVCC outreach.
- Document safeguarding referrals in MSVCC housing needs assessments.
- Standardise survivor-led training for MSVCC support workers
- Scale Modern Slavery Coordinators/Leads nationally
Written in partnership with
This research project was made possible through the support and funding of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre at the University of Oxford, whose sustained commitment to tackling modern slavery continues to drive meaningful change across policy and practice.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the participants with lived experience of modern slavery. Their insights, courage and generosity have shaped every aspect of this work. By grounding the findings in real-world experiences, they have ensured that the recommendations reflect the urgent need for survivor-informed responses.
We also thank all survey respondents for their time and thoughtful contributions, which have strengthened the evidence base and informed the direction of this report.
Westminster Abbey has made a donation to The Passage, to support our homelessness prevention scheme: No Night Out.
The donation has been made possible thanks to the Abbey’s recovering visitor numbers following the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing it to more substantially support us as one of its longest-standing charity partners.
The No Night Out scheme was developed following the pandemic when we identified an effective working model – moving people into emergency accommodation, during the ‘Everyone In’ initiative. For those who are at risk of spending their first night on the streets, The Passage offers temporary accommodation whilst our Resettlement Teams work to provide tailored, one-to-one support to move them into safe and sustainable housing.
Mick Clarke, Chief Executive of The Passage, said: ‘The Passage is immensely grateful to Westminster Abbey for their incredibly generous donation as well as their ongoing commitment to our vital work. In 21st century Britain, nobody should ever have to spend a night on the streets. At a time when the number of people who are becoming street homeless is continuing to rise in all parts of the UK and most acutely here in the capital, our partnership with the Abbey and their support for our ground-breaking No Night Out scheme will help The Passage to give hope to those who thought all hope was lost.’
No Night Out has proven to be highly successful since launching in 2021, with 196 people prevented from spending their first night out on the streets. Of that number, 13 people needed further intervention to stay in accommodation, only 5 of which remain on the street.
With official figures revealing that 4,118 people slept rough on the streets of London recently, and over 2,000 individuals doing so for the very first time, the funding from Westminster Abbey has come at a crucial time.
The Passage is working closely with the Mayor of London’s office, local authorities, and charitable organisations to encourage others to adopt the No Night Out approach. Outcomes and learnings from the project will also be shared with Prince William and the Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme – to which we are a sector partner – with training and advice provided to each of the Homewards locations across the UK.
Visiting The Passage’s Resource Centre, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, said: ‘It is a privilege to be able to support the focussed and dedicated work that is done by The Passage. Homelessness plunges too many people into crisis and anxiety too often. Here is a project that will make the difference that is needed’.
Westminster Abbey is committed to an active programme of social engagement, working with marginalised communities locally, nationally and internationally.
We are tremendously grateful to the Abbey for their commitment to The Passage. Their staff have volunteered at our Resource Centre, and our service users are regularly welcomed on visits to the Abbey. Our summer Garden Party and carol service are also held at the Abbey each year.
My name is Jenny Travassos and I joined The Passage in early January. I started working in the sector in 2004 as a volunteer for homelessness charity Broadway, going on to hold various frontline and management roles. In 2014 I joined Westminster City Council where I became Head of Rough Sleeping. During my time with the council, I made substantial changes to enable more specialist accommodation services, developed high level partnerships with health colleagues and introduced two strategies.
I joined The Passage because it is an organisation that is led by its values while also having a strong voice for change; whether that be with central and local government or with our partners across the sector and beyond.
Over the last few months, I’ve spent time listening and learning from colleagues and the people who use our services. The overwhelming message is that we have an opportunity to reflect on what we have learned from working throughout the pandemic and the remarkable outcomes achieved by our teams.
We also have a golden opportunity to review each element of our work to ensure that we do not lose the momentum achieved with the ‘Everyone In’ initiative, which has seen the numbers of people on the streets reduce significantly.
Looking ahead, one of my priorities is further developing our services to meet the future needs of individuals who we are likely to see. For example, rolling out additional preventative services to help stop people from ending up on the streets in the first place. I am also reviewing our employment programmes to ensure that we can respond quickly and help people who have fallen out of work during the pandemic. We will be working closely with our corporate partners and business leaders to increase the number of training and work opportunities available to our clients.
In the coming months, we plan to share more information about the outcomes we achieve, enabling our supporters to better understand the impact of our work. One particular outcome has stood out for me so far; in the past 9 months, we have supported 95 people into longterm sustainable accommodation!
No one organisation can solve homelessness on its own, so I will also be focusing on developing partnerships that build on the great work we do. Our voice and our services will be needed more than ever in the months and years ahead; The Passage has a key role to play in shaping and influencing the policies that affect our work and representing the voices of those who use our services. I look forward to sharing more about these important developments with you.