The 5TH Richest Country In The World – So Why Is Homelessness On The Rise?
The most common reason given by homeless people for their situation is the breakdown of a relationship; but does this really explain why there has been a 134% rise in this statistic since 2011?
Recent figures from a Government Working Party published in Decemeber 2017 indicate that a stronger factor in the UK is the ending of private sector tenancies. These evictions account for 78% of the rise in homelessness.
MP Bob Blackman explained the link between local housing allowance and homelessness:
“The maximum weekly Local Housing Allowance rate, for most, is more than adequate. Some organisations, including Shelter, have argued that this amount is insufficient to sustain tenancies in the private rented sector. In UK cities, the availability of any accommodation at all seems to be a stronger driver than a cap, which was introduced to prevent private landlords from using the system to continue raising rents to receive more and more taxpayer money without any oversight.”
In UK cities this is the top root cause for homelessness. Private sector rents have increased by 3 times as much as wages since 2010 except in the North East and East Midlands; in London costs have risen by 24%.
Sarah Watkins, Service Manager for Stockton and Middlesbrough Mind explains:
“Most people had no family support, they had a history of addiction. Little or no employment history. The temporary accommodation they were offered was of extremely poor quality. They were vulnerable and spent time with others in the same situation and found it very difficult to break away from that culture. Some had had ‘normal’ lives previously but had then encountered a major life setback which led them to becoming homeless.”
A clear-cut definition of homelessness is fraught with ambiguity because it necessarily includes both the 78000 living in poor standard temporary accommodation as well as those who sleep on our streets.
There are also an unknown number of other homeless people hidden in the overcrowded homes of friends or family, or moving between hostels and the street. The Public Accounts Homeless Households Eleventh Report states:
“People become homeless for a number of reasons; the most common of these is the end of a private tenancy. The risk is greatest for those on a limited income who live in expensive areas.”
What is being done about this epidemic? At one given time 9,100 people are sleeping on our streets and there are 128,000 homeless children.
Bob Blackman says:
“The government aims to invest £550 million by 2020 to address the issue. Local authorities are being given a great deal of funding to help relieve homelessness and rough sleeping and my legislation gives statutory duties which will steer them towards prevention work. Over time, the money invested should lead to substantial savings as councils rely less on temporary accommodation to meet their obligations and more people are helped before they reach the point of homelessness.”
We should all question why we tolerate this terrible situation in our affluent, modern western society.