Andy Burnham has said that everyone should have a route off the streets before Christmas. But as emergency accommodation is brought forward, providing more beds quickly must not come at the expense of people’s dignity, privacy or safety.

As a membership charity for faith and community-led organisations working to end homelessness, Housing Justice has created a new Minimum Operating Checklist for Emergency Accommodation Providers to help services deliver safe, dignified and effective support.

Based on our extensive Quality Mark accreditation framework, the checklist brings together 32 core criteria across eight areas, including minimum operating standards, guest experience, staff and volunteer wellbeing, safeguarding, partnerships and governance.

It’s designed for both new and established providers, as well as local authorities, offering a practical starting point to review existing practice, identify areas for development and build good practice into services from the outset.

As winter approaches, we must ensure that the urgent need for emergency accommodation goes hand in hand with quality, dignity and the right support for people experiencing homelessness.

📄 Read the checklist and find out more: https://housingjustice.org.uk/blogs/2026/new-best-practice-checklist-for-emergency-accommodation-providers ...