People in temporary homes is increasing, says study
THE NUMBER of households in temporary accommodation in England has risen to its highest in almost 10 years, latest figures show.
Some 78,180 households were in temporary housing at the end of June this year, a level not seen since December 2007. The figure jumped seven per cent between June 30 last year and the same time this year, and is one per cent higher than the previous quarter, the Department for Communities and Local Government said.
In the same period, the number of households accepted by local authorities as statutorily homeless – those eligible for assistance or made unintentionally homeless – dropped one per cent to 14,400 in the last quarter, and five per cent on the previous year.
Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, said: “A raft of issues is conspiring to cause the homelessness of thousands of people across the country, in a situation that is not improving.
“We must not become desensitised to this serious problem, or forget that these high numbers represent people’s lives in turmoil. We can and must act to prevent and end homelessness, and with their party conference less than a week away, the Government must take the opportunity to tackle the reasons why homelessness continues to rise.”
The latest statistics cover April to June 2017. The figures come after public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) criticised the Government for its “light touch approach” to tackling the growing problem.
Its report earlier this month found that welfare reforms and a lack of affordable private housing was to blame for the rise in homelessness.
Since 2010, the number of households in temporary accommodation has risen 63 per cent.
The latest statistics show that the main driver behind people losing their homes was the ending of assured shorthold tenancy with a private landlord, which accounted for 30 per cent of all cases of statutory homelessness in England in the last quarter. Figures also show that more than a quarter of households in temporary accommodation were housed outside of their local authority district.