Homelessness is a serious risk
THE crisis of homeless people in England is getting worse every year. In fact families with stable jobs are even at risk of homelessness.
During Christmas time the homeless people are giving warm food, warm clothing and shelter for one or two days, then they are thrown back to their old haunts to struggle for their survival in this cold winter.
Why can’t they be looked after for the rest of 364 days?
One gesture of goodwill once a year is not enough to meet the needs of the homeless people. It is cruel to treat them in this way.
Not only are they facing cold weather, but are also suffering from mental health, addiction and other ill health problems.
These vulnerable people are abandoned to look after themselves in the 21st century, when we are the sixth richest country in the world.
How can this be allowed to happen?
According to the recent report on homelessness, nurses are among those ending with nowhere to live after being evicted by private-sector landlords, says watchdog.
Homelessness is now a serious risk for working families with stable jobs who cannot find somewhere affordable to live after being evicted by the private sector.
Michael King said nurses, taxi drivers, hospitality staff and council workers were among those assisted by his office after being made homeless and placed in often squalid and unsafe temporary accommodation by local authorities.
“People are coming to us not because they have a ‘life crisis’ or a drug and alcohol problem, but because they are losing what they thought was a stable private-sector tenancy, being evicted and then being priced out of the [rental] market,” he said.
Homelessness of all kinds has increased for six consecutive years in England, prompting a highly critical National Audit Office report in September that said social security cuts and ministers’ failure to get a grip on a ‘visibly growing problem’ was costing the taxpayer £1bn a year.
The government has to take immediate steps to face this growing problem of homelessness before the situation becomes worse and gets out of hand.
Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow