The charity Crisis says rising rents are a contributing factor to the homelessness crisis.

The comment come as  new data from the Office for National Statistics  show 741 people died while homeless in England and Wales during 2021; this follows on from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) who yesterday released their data for 2021 reporting that 250 people died while homeless in Scotland.  

Responding to the figures Matt Downie, Crisis chief executive, says: “Behind each of these statistics is a human being; an individual who tragically spent their last moments homeless. We know that being homeless often means feeling like you have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. It’s difficult to bear, but that will have been the experience of some of the real people behind these figures.  

“There is no excuse for this shameless suffering. For years we have been calling on the UK Government to expand the safeguarding system used to investigate the deaths of vulnerable adults to include everyone who has died while street homeless. This must be acted upon so we can learn lessons from these tragic deaths.  

“Our services are gearing up for an incredibly challenging winter, with thousands facing the brutality of homelessness as the rising cost of living pushes them to breaking point. These dire economic times must not lead to more people falling through the cracks and dying needlessly on our streets.  

“We can stop this before it’s too late. We desperately need more social homes and for the UK Government to invest in housing benefit so it covers the true cost of rents. Only decisive action will ensure everyone has a safe place to call home and prevent more loss of life in the future.” 

The charity is warning that demand for its services is increasing and shows no sign of abating as rents have risen at their fastest rate for 16 years across England, while in Wales less than one per cent of private rented homes are affordable to people on housing benefit. This, the charity says, will see more and more households pushed into poverty as they struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living. 

It says it’s preparing for “an incredibly busy winter.”