Today’s statistics, the annual Statutory Homelessness statistics for 2023/24 released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, are deeply concerning. The figures are clear that homelessness in England is soaring, and they echo what we are hearing from frontline workers – the people tackling this issue head on – across the UK.
In total, 358,370 households in England approached local authorities for help with homelessness in 2023/4, an increase of 10.4% over the previous year. Of those, there was a 12.3% increase in households assessed as homeless and therefore owed the main duty to be housed. This equates to thousands more human beings facing homelessness, while often going through other traumatic experiences such as mental health crises, relationship breakdowns, or job loss. This unfortunately comes as little surprise. In our annual Frontline Worker Survey, published last month, 84% of frontline workers in the homelessness sector told us that they were seeing an increase in demand for their services.
Today’s statistics show that the number of households in temporary accommodation is also at an all-time high – 117,450, after an increase of 12.3% from the same period last year. Households with children in temporary accommodation increased by 14.7%. And, the statistics illustrate a stark increase in households owed a prevention duty (up 92.0%) or a relief duty (up 79.2%) due to rent arrears from an increase in rent.
We know that the lack of housing options for people who need it is a serious issue – 93% of frontline workers told us that it was difficult to obtain private rented accommodation for the people they support, and 47% (up from 33% in 2022) said their ability to prevent homelessness had decreased.
All of this highlights that more urgently needs to be done. Every person deserves a safe place to call home, but these statistics show us that instead, more and more people are being pushed into homelessness. This is putting pressure on an already strained sector, made up of frontline workers who are fighting day-in-day-out to achieve better futures for people.
Duncan Shrubsole, Chief Executive of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity said in response:
“Today’s statistics are another stark reminder that across the country homelessness is too high and it is rising. These statistics now need to be a spur for action from this new Government, starting with the Budget at the end of the month. The Government needs to commit to investing in homelessness services right across the country so they will be there for those who need them and to ensure organisations can recruit and retain the skilled staff that are so critical to supporting someone out of homelessness or to prevent it in the first place.
Homelessness is about more than housing, but it cannot be solved without rapid and sustained increases in the availability and affordability of accommodation. We need to see investment in more social homes and supported accommodation and action to ensure that housing benefit rates reflect local rent levels.
This Government committed in its Manifesto to a new cross-government action plan to reduce all forms of homelessness. If these statistics are not going to stop climbing and instead to start falling, this cannot come soon enough.”
To address high and rising homelessness, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity called for the following:
1. Investment in homelessness services through ensuring funding levels and commissioning practices nationally and locally across England are appropriate, equitable and long-term to both ensure quality support is available to prevent and resolve homelessness and to support the recruitment and retention of skilled staff.
2. Ensuring more accommodations is available through building more social rented homes, investing in housing and support models suitable for people with multiple and complex needs, such as Housing First and taking action to improve quality, stability and affordability in the private rented sector.
3. Recognition of the essential role of frontline workers in the homelessness sector, some of whom also have lived experience, and ensuring they are supported and valued through efforts to reduce their costs of living, to ensure they are paid fairly and appropriately and to support and improve their wellbeing.
4. Concerted action to tackle the cost of living, including through ensuring benefits are at an appropriate level and providing immediately available, easily accessible, flexible pots of money to support people with rent arrears, deposits, the costs of moving, and setting up a new home (e.g. for white goods and flooring)