Homelessness in Britain could be eradicated within ten years with the correct measures in place, according to a report.

Government policies needed to end homelessness have been set out in a report by charity Crisis called Everybody In: How To End Homelessness In Great Britain.

The plan has been endorsed by experts in the US, Canada and Finland, who are leading successful movements to end homelessness in their countries, Crisis said.

The report follows work with the Chartered Institute of Housing, Heriot-Watt University, the National Housing Federation, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).

The report's findings include that 100,500 social homes need to be built each year for the next 15 years to meet the needs of both homeless people and the wider cohort of people in Britain on low incomes.

The plan says that a national roll-out of Housing First would benefit more than 18,000 homeless people, by providing homes that come with a package of specialised support.

The plan also sets out the policies needed to support people once they are housed, including better rights and longer tenancies for private renters, and reforming housing benefits.

Ending homelessness will also require hospitals, prisons, the care system, and other parts of the state to play a role, the research finds. Crisis said these organisations should be legally required to help prevent people leaving their care from becoming homeless.

The charity say that the plan also proposes that job centres have homelessness specialists. PwC found that, over the next decade, these policies would cost $9.9bn and deliver benefits worth £26.4bn.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: "For the first time ever, we have a comprehensive plan that shows exactly how we can address the root causes of homelessness and make it a thing of the past.

"Other parts of the world are taking huge strides towards ending it, and Britain can too.

"We must not become a society that simply accepts homelessness as 'a sad fact of life', because the good news is that we know it doesn't have to be this way."

Crisis said there are currently 236,000 people across England, Wales and Scotland who are homeless.

This includes people living on the streets, in cars and tents, or in unsuitable temporary accommodation.

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association's Housing spokesman, said: "It is essential that all councils are able to borrow to build new homes and adapt welfare reforms to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

"A genuine renaissance in council housebuilding would increase housing supply, boost home ownership and reduce homelessness."