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255,000 homeless in England, says Shelter
Some 255,000 people are homeless in England, housing charity Shelter has found.
In a report to mark its 50th anniversary, Shelter analysed government statistics, Freedom of Information Act requests and other published data to arrive at what it said was the first accurate total for homelessness.
It found the worst affected area was the City of Westminster, where one person in 25 was homeless, followed by the London boroughs of Newham and Haringey – on 1:27 and 1:28 respectively.
Outside London, Luton had 1:63 people homeless, Brighton & Hove 1:69 and Birmingham 1:119.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said the slums of 1966 had “faded into memory, [but] 50 years on a modern-day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country”.
He added: “This is the tragic result of a nation struggling under the weight of sky-high rents, a lack of affordable homes and cuts to welfare support.
“We all face the consequences when so many in our country grow up without a place to call home. It breaks up communities and wreaks havoc on family life.”
Martin Tett, housing spokesperson at the Local Government Association, said councils wanted to tackle homelessness but struggled due to funding pressures, lack of affordable housing and rents that continued to rise above household incomes.
“Finding emergency housing for homeless people, particularly young or vulnerable people or those with families, is increasingly difficult for councils,” he said.
Inside Housing’s Cathy at 50 campaign is calling on the government to commit to halve rough sleeping by 2020.
