Government figures show 13% increase in homelessness
HOMELESSNESS is on the rise, and more people are predicted to be on the streets this Christmas as a result of the economic crisis. Charities are warning that the situation will only get worse when welfare reform and cuts to housing services start to bite next year.
The latest statistics from the Government show that there has been a 13-per-cent increase this year in the number of people made homeless, and that 35,680 households have been accepted as homeless by local authorities since the start of 2011.
The chief executive of Shelter, Campbell Robb, said: “It is heartbreaking to think that so many families will be facing Christmas without a home to call their own. But the greatest tragedy is that year-to-date figures are 13 per cent higher than they were at this time last year.
“With someone facing losing their home every two minutes, the reality is this is a fate that could happen to any one of us. All it takes is one small thing, such as an illness or financial trouble, and things can soon spiral out of control.
“And, with rising unemployment, increases in fuel bills, and a continued squeeze on living costs, the picture is unlikely to improve any time soon. Research from Shelter shows that, across the country, 630 people a day will receive a letter threatening the loss of their home between now and Christmas, which could see them in court and fighting to keep their home.”
Charities working with the homeless say that they are experiencing increased demand.
Independent research conducted for Crisis suggests that the economic downturn, combined with the Government’s reforms and the weakening of the welfare state, will leave many more people facing homelessness. There has also been a 27-per-cent rise on the same quarter of last year in the use of B&B accommodation nationally, and a 44-per-cent increase in London, Crisis has reported.
The Connection, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, said that it had seen a 20-per-cent rise in demand for its services. Five new people were arriving every day to add to the 200 it serves already. The Salvation Army is also expecting a rise in demand for its services. Thousands of volunteers have been signed up to help to serve meals on Christmas Day.
A recent survey carried out for the Salvation Army confirmed that vulnerable people, in particular, feel less able to cope at Christmas. The Army runs its Christmas-present appeal each year — collecting gifts for families and people who would otherwise receive nothing — and distributes about 150,000 presents.
In one Salvation Army corps, in Reading, volunteers are also sending out 800 Christmas food-parcels to those in need. One of the main sources of food for the gifts came from the Reading music festival. An appeal went out to the crowd at the end of the festival to hand in all their unused cans, bottles, and packets. The collection netted 200 kilos of food. The individuals and families who will receive the hampers have been identified by social services in Reading.
Over the past two years of economic difficulties, the request for parcels for the needy has grown from 500 to 800, Stuart Scott, of the Salvation Army said.
In Ipswich, more than 250 volunteers are helping to open churches as night-shelters for the homeless sleeping rough on the streets of Ipswich throughout the winter. Seven church halls will open their doors from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week, until mid-February, to ensure that no one has to sleep rough during the coldest nights of the year. Volunteers will welcome the guests, cook for those staying, and eat with them.
The minister for church and community engagement in the diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, Canon Paul Daltry, said: “Two hundred and sixty volunteers from Ipswich and the surrounding area have come forward. I am very proud of Ipswich and the churches, and how they have responded as a community to help the homeless.
“These are difficult times, and are likely to get harder. Look at the weather, and there are people on our streets — it’s so cold for them. They desperately need this, and the churches and our community are showing real care for some of the poorest in our society.”
