This is the consequence of the cost of living and housing crises in the UK. This phenomenon, which particularly concerns rural areas, has varied causes, and the associations’ appeals to the government remain unheeded.
2 mins
with our correspondent in London, Sidonie Gaucher
It is a phenomenon called in English hidden homelessness, which could be translated as “hidden homelessness” and which refers to a reality that is difficult to measure: homeless people. Firstly because there are no official national figures on the number of homeless people. Each country in the UK uses different accounting methods. Additionally, many homeless people are not included in the statistics, either because they have left the tracking systems or because they do not meet the counting criteria.
It is therefore difficult to know how many people are affected, but it is estimated that there are still more than 300,000. This is in any case the estimate put forward by the association helping the homeless. Shelter. A number up 6.8% compared to 2022.
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The majority of people identified would be housed in temporary assistance homes. And we found that in rural areas, this phenomenon increased by 40% in five years. For example, in Boston, Lincolnshire, there are 38 homeless people per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 23 per 100,000 in the United Kingdom’s capital.
🚨 1 in 85 children in England are homeless. Official government data shows that a record 139,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.
It’s shameful.
Donate to our urgent appeal as we face rising demand for our services: https://t.co/O9qeVUowKO pic.twitter.com/nIs9csDXMH
— Shelter (@Shelter) December 5, 2023
What are the reasons behind this increase in the number of homeless people?
Several factors contribute to this increase. First of all, the rise in prices for more than a year in the United Kingdom has led to an increase in poverty, combined with a serious housing crisis in the country.
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On the one hand, the country is experiencing a housing shortage, particularly social housing; on the other hand, rents or the cost of borrowing are colossal. The government’s promise was to build 300,000 social housing units per year, but last year less than ⅓ of the target was achieved.
Last month, the Conservative government shocked public opinion by declaring that living on the streets is a “way of life”. He is preparing a project to prevent the installation of tents in the street.