It’s heartbreaking to see so many people across the UK suffer from homelessness. Hundreds of thousands of British households are experiencing the worst form of homelessness. The high inflation is making people worried about their day-to-day costs. The living crisis in Britain will turn to be homelessness crisis unless the government intervenes and help low to middle paid families.
Failed Housing Policies
On the eve of Christmas, hundreds of thousands of Britons have to experience rough sleep. According to a survey by homelessness charity Crisis, 227,000 households across Britain are experiencing the worst forms of homelessness. The rate of homeless in England and Wales is higher compared to Scotland because of the different housing policies in place. Scotland has better factors such as an improved supply of social housing and more access to homelessness services.
Poverty Crisis
Homelessness means sleeping on the streets, sleeping in cars and sheds, and staying in unsafe accommodations. In Britain, homeless people can ask for help from a local council. However, not everyone will get help with housing but local charities may be able to help with basics. Now, thousands of Britons are at the sharp end of poverty and at risk of being pushed into homelessness. The living crisis in Britain pushes many to make choices between eating and keeping a roof over their head.
Homelessness on Rise
The living crisis in Britain is on the brink of becoming a homelessness crisis. The UK is undergoing the highest inflation since the early 1980s while Britons are worried about the increasing living crisis. Rising inflation and a predicted recession caused a growing financial concern across the UK. The homeless households who were helped between April 2021 and March 2022 were up 16% compared to the previous year. As a result of the economic crisis, many people are battling to keep their homes.
Austerity Pressure
There is a shortage of housing across Britain and households on low to middle incomes struggle to afford accommodation. There are concerns over the lack of appropriate government funding to invest in social rental accommodations. Also, there is a lack of skills in the council housing department to build new homes. The impact of the Conservative Parity’s austerity throughout the last decade led to cuts to housing services. The cuts on housing benefits have extremely affected vulnerable people.
Welfare System Support
House prices and private rents are high in Britain, so ordinary working people are close to getting out of the housing. The UK government should take urgent action to invest in a national house-building program to make less expensive accommodations available. Changes to the welfare system could provide support to low-income families. British households need to see a welfare system that provides adequate support to meet their housing costs.
Living to Homelessness Crisis
The current economic crisis in the UK has the potential to escalate into a homelessness crisis. The Conservative government pledged to end rough sleeping in England by 2024. However, it seems that the government will not meet its manifesto commitment without taking urgent action. The living crisis in Britain has put immeasurable financial pressure on hundreds of thousands of people. The UK government’s duty to intervene and provide financial support to prevent more homelessness.
Accommodation Policies
The high levels of homelessness across the UK will rise in the immediate future unless the policies change. Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping must be at the heart of the UK government’s agenda. Society cannot ignore homelessness because everyone should have safe and secure accommodation. Many people are ending up without a home, so the issue should not be tolerated. Undoubtedly, there must be a political will to solve the homelessness issue.
Living Standard Crisis
By the rising living crisis, 86% of people are concerned about day-to-day living costs. Christmas is ten days away, but many people in Britain cut back on their costs to handle the living crisis. Thirty million Britons cannot afford a decent living standard by 2024. Millions of British households have already been in hardship and they entered a living standard crisis. As Christmas is getting near, millions of Britons would have difficulty putting food on the table and by cloths.
Mounting Grocery Costs
It is too difficult to escape from the soaring cost of living crisis. According to the Office for National Statistics, food price inflation rose from 14.6% in September 2022 to 16.4% in October. It is the highest grocery inflation level since 1977. British families have to spend more on their grocery needs which squeezes the households’ budgets. The cost of housing and house services rose from 9.3% in September 2022 to 11.7% in October.
Rising Interest Rates
Britain’s high inflation rate prepared the ground for skyrocketing food and housing prices. Last month, the Bank of England raised interest rates to tackle and curb the soaring inflation rate. The central bank is going to raise the interest rate to 3.5%, the highest level for 14 years. This time, the top bank will raise interest rates for the ninth time in a row. Experts predict that the interest rates will peak at 4% next year.
Mortgage Increase
Increasing interest rates in the UK have pushed mortgage charges to a higher level. Every rate rise is bad news for millions of people on a variable-rate mortgage. The BoE’s interest rate growth will place more squeeze on people’s household finances. Consequently, more people could experience rough sleeping and homelessness. Home rents are already high in the UK and continue to rise at the highest rate for decades.
Deaths of Homeless People
The Museum of Homelessness has recently researched and found that the number of homeless deaths increased by 80% over the past two years. Last year, more than 1,200 homeless people in the UK died which was a 32% increase from the previous year. The charity Museum found that 41% of deaths were related to drug and alcohol use, and 12% to suicide. There should be an inquiry into the deaths of homeless people to stop future losses.
Worsening Problem
The cost-of-living crisis and overstretched housing and homelessness budgets have put the lives of more homeless people at risk. Homeless people are the most vulnerable people in Britain who need more support from the government and social services. The UK government must learn the scale of the problem to tackle homelessness properly. The worsening cost of living crisis has had a catastrophic impact on homelessness.
Rising Homelessness
It is shameful that thousands of people across Britain are without a place to live in. Charities and donations from non-governmental organizations can provide people with warm and safe, but temporary shelters. With the cost-of-living crisis, more people are on the brink of homelessness. As a result, it is important to help people keep their homes while accommodating homeless people.
Homelessness at Christmas
Hundreds of thousands of Britons are without a home at Christmas time. Many measures must have taken place earlier to avoid more people on the streets. There has been little action by the UK government to support homeless households, so far. This is the government’s duty to set economic policies to provide such accommodations for the public. Everyone has the right to have a decent, secure, stable, safe, and affordable home to start the new year in.
