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Homeless crisis grows as 100 tenants a day are evicted and children in temporary accommodation leaps 37 per cent


T


he number of children being housed in temporary accommodation has risen to over 120,000, as English councils struggle


to cope with the rising tide of homelessness. This is equivalent to an increase of 32,650 or 37


per cent since the second quarter of 2014, or an average of 906 extra children every month – similar in size to an average secondary school according to the Local Government Association. Councils are currently housing 77,240


homelessness households in temporary accommodation (54,280 in London), a 10 per cent rise on the previous year, with the increased use of temporary accommodation now rising fastest outside of London. The accommodation is usually either in a Bed


& Breakfast hotel, an overnight hostel or in leased properties, but none of these provide a secure tenancy with washing and cooking facilities often shared with other residents.


RISING EVICTIONS The LGA, which represents councils in England, says the current situation is unsustainable. The cost of providing temporary accommodation has tripled in the last three years, as the extra demand places increasing pressure on local authorities, who now face a total £5.8 billion funding gap by 2020. Much of the rise in homelessness is due to


private sector tenancies coming to an end, often with rent arrears caused by welfare benefit changes and the imposition of a benefit cap, which itself has been reduced in recent years to £23,000 in London and £20,000 elsewhere. High numbers of “no-fault” evictions (under a Section 21 notice) by private landlords are often to blame, where the landlord does not have to give a reason and the tenant has just two months to leave. The housing charity Shelter has warned that


more than a million households living in private rented accommodation are at risk of becoming homeless by 2020 because of rising rents, benefit freezes and a lack of social housing. The charity calculated that if the housing benefit freeze remains in place until 2020 – more than a million households, including 375,000 with at least one person in work, could be forced out of their homes. A record number of renters are being evicted


from their homes - more than 100 tenants a day are losing the roof over their head, according to


analysis by the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). They found approximately 40,000 tenants in England were evicted each year from 2014 to 2016, with over 9,000 evictions carried out in the first quarter of 2017.


FUNDING GAP Campbell Robb, chief executive of JRF, has called for the freeze on housing benefit to be lifted. “With higher rents, a benefits freeze and impossible choices about what bills to pay, evictions have reached record levels and put families under enormous strain,” he said. “The Government has made welcome moves to


offer renters more protection. But it must take immediate action on housing costs. This means lifting the freeze on housing benefit. It is intolerable that more than 100 families a day are losing their homes.” The LGA has pulled together the latest data and


combined this with best practice examples of how councils are responding to the growing demands on their resources in a report entitled, Housing our homeless households. It is supplemented with practical advice and on-line tools for councils to use. Council leaders are calling for extra funding so


they can provide much needed support services and permanent housing for families that become homeless. They are also demanding help from the Government to relieve the financial drain on councils and the disruptive impact on affected families.


UNSUSTAINABLE The new Homelessness Reduction Act requires councils to help individuals and families before they become homeless, but as a new responsibility it is unproven and local authorities fear the rising costs of support will prove very expensive, draining their resources from other key areas. Martin Tett, the Local Government


Association’s housing spokesman, said: “The net cost for councils of funding for temporary accommodation has tripled in the last three years, it’s clear the current situation is unsustainable for councils, as well as being disruptive for families. “Councils are working hard to tackle


homelessness, with some truly innovative work around the country - and we now need the Government to support this local effort by


“The Government must abandon the freeze on housing benefit that’s denying thousands of families the essential top-up needed to pay for


rising rents” Anne Baxendale, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter


allowing councils to invest in building genuinely affordable homes, and taking steps to adapt welfare reforms to ensure housing remains affordable for low-income families.” A DCLG spokesman said the Government is


investing £550 million to help tackle the issue, adding: “The number of children living in temporary accommodation is down from its peak in 2006, but any increase in the number of homeless families is always a concern.


CHALLENGES The LGA said placements in temporary accommodation presents serious challenges for families, from parents’ employment and health to children’s ability to focus on school studies and form friendships. “We’re clear that while temporary


accommodation is vital in making sure that no family is without a roof over their head, councils have a responsibility to find secure, good quality accommodation as quickly as possible,” said Mr Tett. Anne Baxendale, director of campaigns and


policy at Shelter, said: “Every day we speak to families desperate to escape the dingy, cramped hostel room they’re forced to live in, for weeks if not months, as overstretched councils can’t find them anywhere else. The situation is getting worse as the lack of affordable homes and welfare cuts bite deeper. “The Government must abandon the freeze on


housing benefit that’s denying thousands of families the essential top-up needed to pay for rising rents. And, in the longer term, they must build decent homes that families on lower incomes can actually afford to live in.”


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM September 2017 | 5


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