Rural areas are struggling with a homelessness crisis driven by soaring housing costs and a shortfall in local authority funding, a new report claims.
A survey of rural charities and housing associations found an overwhelming majority thought rural homelessness was a serious problem that was getting worse.
Key findings include that 91% of respondents in rural areas have seen homelessness increase in the past five years and 83% said their job had become harder in the past five years.
The study carried out by academics at the universities of Kent and Southampton found that rural local authorities receive 65% less in funding per capita through the Homelessness Prevention Grant than urban areas.
The sharp discrepancy discovered in statistics released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, shows urban local authorities were paid £7.15 per homeless person compared to just £2.50 paid to rural local authorities.
Martin Collett, chief executive of English Rural and co-chair of the research project, said:??’You don’t tend to see people sleeping rough in rural areas but they’re there, normally hidden in agricultural buildings, outhouses, sleeping rough on farmland or condemned to an insecure life of sofa surfing.
‘Because funding is so inadequate, many people are moving to urban centres for much needed support. It is in all our interests to fix this crisis.’
