320,000 homeless in UK as housing crisis hits new high

A PERFECT storm of spiralling rents, welfare cuts and a lack of social housing means a record number of people are homeless, figures reveal.

As many as 320,000 people in Britain are either sleeping on the streets or find themselves stuck in cramped hostel rooms.

The shocking figure lays bare the true scale of the country’s worsening housing crisis, despite repeated government pledges to tackle the problem, housing charity Shelter warned.

In the last year, the overall number has increased by 13,000, meaning one in every 200 people is without a permanent home.

Most, around 295,000, are in temporary accommodation, 5,000 are on the streets, 14,867 are in single homeless hostels and 4,922 in local authority shelters.

Devastating

In its annual landmark review, Shelter combined official roughsleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures.

And the charity warned the true extent of homelessness is likely to be even greater because some people slip through the net of official statistics.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said: “Homelessness is having a devastating impact on the lives of people right across the country.

“It’s unforgivable that 320,000 people in Britain have been swept up by the housing crisis and now have no place to call home.

“Due to the perfect storm of spiralling rents, welfare cuts and a total lack of social housing, record numbers of people are sleeping out on the streets or stuck in the cramped confines of a hostel room. Ms Neate added: “We desperately need action now to change tomorrow for the hundreds of thousands whose lives will be blighted by homelessness this winter.

“Shelter’s services have never been more needed. That’s why we’re asking the public to support us this winter so that we can answer as many calls as possible and have trained advisers on hand when people need them most.”

London reported the highest levels of homelessness, with nearly 170,000 people – one in 52 – without a place to live. But areas outside the capital are also reeling from the impact of the housing crisis, including Brighton (one in 67), Birmingham (one in 73) and Manchester (one in 135).

The Shelter report, Homelessness In Great Britain: The Numbers Behind The Story, warns this is due to a combination of unaffordable rents, frozen benefits and a severe shortage of social housing.

Shelter has launched an urgent appeal to support its frontline advisers as they work to help growing numbers trying to find or keep their homes.