Number of households declared homeless up 10% in London

By The Press Association24th September 2015News EnglandAusterity, Homelessness, Housing / Homelessness, London, News England, Poverty / Austerity

The number of households declared homeless is on the rise across England – shooting up by 10% in London, Government figures have shown.

Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show that 5% more households in England were accepted as homeless between April 1 and June 30 2015 than during the same period in 2014.

Almost 100,000 children were shown to be living in temporary accommodation having been accepted as “statutorily homeless”.

Charities branded the new figures “totally unacceptable” and demanded decisive action from politicians.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis, said: “We cannot ignore the reality behind these numbers.

“Thousands of people across the country are struggling to keep a roof over their heads in a housing market that is no longer fit for purpose, while cuts to housing benefit and homelessness services have left the safety net in tatters.”

The publication shows the capital is bearing the brunt of the country’s housing crisis with an increase of 10% since last year, accounting for just under a third of the total number of households accepted homeless in England in the three month period.

Burgeoning rents and problems in the private rental sector were blamed for the increase, after it was disclosed that nearly a third of households in England accepted as homeless had become so due to a private tenancy ending.

Mr Sparkes said: “This is totally unacceptable and reflects the desperate state of our private rented sector, along with cuts to housing benefit and a woeful lack of affordable housing.”

The DCLG figures showed this trend was more prevalent in London, with 1,690 households accepted as homeless (38%) becoming so for this reason during the April-June period.

Of those accepted as homeless, the new figures show that the number of households living in temporary accommodation on June 30 2015 was up 12% in London and 13% in the rest of England from the same day in 2014.

The vast majority of these contained children and/or a pregnant woman, with 99,080 children or expected children with an average age of two found to be living in temporary accommodation.

These families were disproportionately found in London, with 74% of the country’s total households in temporary accommodation living in the capital.

Mr Sparkes warned there was a danger of homeless individuals being overlooked.

“While it’s right these people get help, single homeless people and childless couples who approach their councils are often turned away to sleep on the streets – cold, desperate and forgotten,” he said.

A household is considered statutorily homeless by a local authority if they meet certain criteria, including that they became homeless through no fault of their own and belong to a particularly vulnerable group.

This might not necessarily mean that they literally do not have a roof over their heads; rather that they are threatened with losing, or are unable to continue, their current accommodation.

A DCLG spokesman said: “Statutory homelessness acceptances are now less than half the 2003-04 peak.

“We have made over £1 billion available since 2010, to prevent and tackle homelessness and support vulnerable households.

“Our investment has helped prevent almost a million households from becoming homeless.”

Local Government Association (LGA) Housing spokesman Peter Box said: “It is a tragedy when anyone becomes homeless and councils work hard to find appropriate accommodation for homeless people, particularly those who are young, vulnerable, or with families.

“Councils are also working hard outside of their statutory duties through methods such as family mediation, support to find a tenancy in the private rented sector and help to deal with debt to prevent or relieve youth homelessness.

“With homelessness approvals increasing and local authorities accepting more people than ever, councils are continuously finding new and innovative ways to deliver and finance new homes to expand the range of accommodation available.

“However, if they are to unlock their ambitions to build many more affordable homes, they must be given urgent powers and the flexibility to do so.”

The DCLG figures show that homelessness in London has almost doubled over a five-year period.

In the last 12 months, 17,940 households were accepted as homeless by their local council – 94% higher than five years ago.

The number of households which became homeless in the same period after being evicted from a privately-rented home has increased seven-fold in five years, housing charity Shelter said.

Chief executive of Shelter, Campbell Robb said: “With cuts to welfare taking their toll, coupled with a dramatic shortage of genuinely affordable homes forcing millions into unstable private renting, it’s little surprise that so many are losing the fight to stay in their home.

“Many homeless families are then left to linger in unfit temporary accommodation, as overburdened councils struggle to find them anywhere else to live.

“The only way for the Government to break the cycle of homelessness, is to invest in building homes that people on lower incomes can actually afford.”