Campaigning charity Shelter claims that “at least” 271,000 are homeless in England alone.
The figure - compiled from a Freedom of Information request and publicised as part of a campaign by the charity to gather donations - comes with a claim that it represents one in 208 people in England are without a home.
Of these, it claims, 2,400 people are sleeping rough on any given night, 15,000 people are in hostels or supported accommodation and nearly 250,000 are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families.
It goes on to say that the number of people living in temporary accommodation has risen by 74 per cent in the last 10 years – something the charity argues is driven by the chronic shortage of social homes, and an over-reliance on what it describes as “grossly expensive and unstable private renting.”
The charity adds that it believes over two-thirds of families living in temporary accommodation have been there for over a year.
Shelter says its survey also shows that 63 per cent of people living in temporary accommodation say it has had a negative impact on their mental health, and 51 per cent say it’s had a negative impact on their physical health.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, says: “The new year should be a time of hope, but this isn’t the case for the 271,000 homeless people who are facing a truly bleak 2023. A cold doorway or a grotty hostel room is not a home, but this is reality for too many people today.
“Our frontline advisers are working tirelessly to help people who are desperate to escape homelessness - from the parents doing all they can to provide some shred of a normal family life while stuck in an emergency B&B, to the person terrified of another night sleeping rough.
“With private rents and living costs continuing to soar, thousands of people are not just facing a winter of worry, they are at risk of losing the roof over their head. At Shelter, we are bracing ourselves for a sharp rise in homelessness in 2023. More than ever, we will be relying on the public’s generosity to help us support and campaign for all those fighting for a safe home.”
The survey suggests that in London, one in 58 people are homeless and broken down by borough it claims that in Newham one in 21 people are homeless.
Outside of London, Shelter claims that Luton has the highest rate of homelessness with one in 65 people homeless, one in 74 people are homeless in Manchester, followed by Brighton and Hove where one in 78 people are homeless. While one in 80 people are homeless in Birmingham.
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Bla bla bla. From Shelter the charity (Business) that houses no one. I think homelessness in this day and age is totally unacceptable. But pouring money into corporations like this with big fat salaries at the top is not the way to fix this problem. A more physically involved charity and not a business that spends its money on surveys and statistics would be a good start.
They are right - there is a chronic shortage of social housing and that pushes people into the PRS who should never have been there. But don't blame the private LLs, who have at least increased the number of homes available to rent over the past 2 decades - blame the Govt, central & local, who have sold off 3 million council homes & failed to replace them let alone build more, and whose policies have resulted in a pay / house price ratio that leaves million needing social housing instead of standing on their own 2 feet.
Perfectly put Tricia- If Labour get in next then just wait for another mass sell off in the PRS. 😱
Well if the Government hadn’t legislated House Price’s higher they might be able to afford them.
Every piece of legislation is a house cost increase, if anyone want me to make the list no problem, are people really that dumb they don’t know this or as dumb as Gove, then complain about the homeless they are creating, more in the pipeline to deliberately make it worse
Begging bowl out, Polly must be after a pay increase
How can someone be described as homeless if they have lived somewhere for over a year?
What is the difference in temporary housing and renting on a 6 month AST?
Is someone on a SPT in temporary housing or a long term home?
Would someone who has recently moved to an area and chosen to rent for a few months while assessing where to buy a house describe themselves as homeless or living in temporary accommodation?
How many genuinely homeless sofa surfers are only doing so while the purchase of their next home is delayed by conveyancing delays?
Don't look at the numbers too closely - it won't fit Shelter's narrative if all these people aren't really homeless!
The NRLA should be closely examining all stats coming from Shelter and calling them out when they are poorly researched, manipulated or propagating anti PRS bias.
The NRLA can't hold a candle to Shelter etc when it comes to publicising their slant on the situation and making the wider public ( and Govt ) aware of the true situation with real facts and figures, thus disputing the misleading selected facts spewed out by Selter, Gen Rent ay al
I've got 5 more people Under a S21 thanks to Polly & Alicia's lobbying and the White Paper. Well done :)
You ain’t seen nothing yet!! 2023 will be a bad year!! Well done Shelter for helping to create the perfect storm!!
So what are shelter doing to reduce homelessness?
Mario, very good keep it going it took 2 Landlord Association's
45 years to get 100’000. Signatures.
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