Housing crisis is getting worse, warns Ellie
SINGER Ellie Goulding said homelessness in the country is getting worse, as she volunteered at a centre which provides shelter at Christmas.
More could be done to help those who do not have access to permanent housing, she said, after serving tea and coffee to people staying at the temporary centre in London.
When asked whether the situation facing the homeless had changed since she began working with the charity Crisis six years ago, she said things had got “unfortunately worse”.
She said: “Not much has got better. There hasn’t really been an improvement.
“As a whole, we haven’t seen a big enough difference.”
More than 4,500 people are expected to make use of the charity’s shelters in cities across the country over the festive period.
Visitors are given three hot meals a day, healthcare and advice on housing and finance.
Ellie said: “It is great people can come in, have a Christmas dinner, chat and meet people, or just have their own space, so it is kind of perfect.
“It restores my faith in humanity.”
David MacGille-Mhuire, 64, used the shelter last year after returning from Japan where he had been a teacher.
He said he was unable to work or get benefits after waiting more than seven months to get a National Insurance number.
He said: “Because of Crisis I’ve got my own place.
“And I’m now hoping to move into council housing or social housing.”
He said he met lawyers, judges, journalists and people “right across the social spectrum” while he was staying in the shelter last year.
The service is a “lifeline for a lot of people”, he added.