Homelessness in England increased by 11% over the first three months of 2022 due to a combination of high private rents and rocketing household bills, homelessness charity warns.

New Government figures released today show 74,230 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022 – including 25,610 families with children.

This represents an 11% rise in three months, and a 5% rise on the same period last year.

Responding to these figures, the homelessness charity Shelter urged the Government to intervene to prevent a steep rise in homelessness.

The charity warned that renters were struggling with the highest private rents on record and rapidly increasing household bills.

‘Too many people are losing the battle to keep a roof over their heads – struggling to pay rent and put food in their mouths. With homelessness on the rise whoever becomes the next Prime Minister needs to get a grip on this crisis, and fast,’ said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter.

‘The housing emergency was already tipping thousands of people into homelessness before the cost of living crisis took hold. Now record-high rents, and crippling food and fuel bills risk sending even more people over the edge – including people who are working every hour they can.’

The latest Government figures on homelessness revealed that 10,560 households who were in full-time work were found to be homeless or threatened with homelessness. This is the highest number of people in full-time work recorded as homeless since 2018 when the data began to be collected.

One in four (25%) households were also found to be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless because of the loss of a private tenancy (18,210 households). This has increased by 94% in a year and is the second leading trigger of homelessness in England.

Polly Neate added: ‘High housing costs are a major part of the cost of living crisis, but they are being ignored. To pull struggling renters back from the brink of homelessness, the new Prime Minister must unfreeze housing benefit so people can afford their rent. But to end homelessness for good, building decent social homes with rents pegged to local incomes is the only answer.’