Shocking new research by a housing charity has revealed that 307,000 people are homeless in Britain - more than the entire population of Newcastle.
Shelter’s new report, Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017, reveals the depth of the country’s housing crisis and argues it is the result of a lack of affordable homes and the Government’s welfare reforms, such as the freeze on housing benefit and the recent roll-out of Universal Credit.
The 307,000 figure - an increase of 13,000 in one year - is the combination of official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures. Shelter warns the real figure is likely to be higher.
The charity also mapped the top 50 hotspots with the highest levels of homelessness in the country.
Newham topped the list where one in every 25 people are homeless. This was closely followed by Haringey (one in 29), Westminster (one in 31), and Enfield (one in 33).
Outside of London, areas such as Luton, where one in 52 people are homeless, Birmingham (one in 88) and Manchester (one in 154) also feature in the top 50.
'On a daily basis, we speak to hundreds of people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness,’ said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter.
‘A trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of welfare cuts.
‘As this crisis continues to unfold, the work of our frontline services remains absolutely critical. We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own.
‘But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public’s support to be there for everyone who needs us right now.’
Responding to Shelter’s report, Cllr Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s (LGA) housing spokesman, described homelessness as a ‘tragedy’ and said councils were doing what they could to prevent it.
‘Homelessness is spreading across the whole country and causing a huge challenge for councils, which are having to house the equivalent of an extra secondary school’s worth of homeless children in temporary accommodation every month,’ he said.
‘The net cost for councils of funding temporary accommodation has tripled in the last three years, which is disruptive for families and unsustainable for councils.
‘Councils need more resources from government to help tackle homelessness — the upcoming Autumn Budget is an opportunity to take steps to adapt welfare reforms to ensure housing remains affordable for low-income families, and allow councils to borrow to invest in building genuinely affordable homes once more.’
