Abstract

The United Kingdom homelessness legislation was enacted in 1977 and since its inception it has been highly regarded across the world for the right to settled accommodation which it bestows upon homeless households deemed to be in priority need of assistance. However, many criticisms have been laid upon the legal framework, particularly in relation to its selectivity – households deemed not to be in ‘priority need’ are owed no meaningful assistance under the legis- lation. Until the devolution settlements of 1998/9, homelessness legislation remained fairly uniform across the UK nations. However, constitutional reform brought about the opportunity for significant divergence in housing and homelessness policy. In 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government made a bold commitment to review the legal framework in order to achieve universal access to appropriate assistance for households that are homeless or threatened with homelessness in Wales. This paper critically reflects on the findings of the review and considers whether the vision of universal access to appropriate assistance is likely to be achieved.