Behind every homelessness statistic sits a story – or, more accurately – 88410* stories. Stories of people fleeing violence or abusive relationships. Stories of people struggling with ill-health and addictions. Stories of care leavers being left to struggle thorough. And, increasingly, stories of people who just can’t afford the rent.** Some – the “lucky” or “deserving” few, find their way into temporary accommodation (t/a).*** Some sleep rough.**** Some turn to prostitution as a way of getting a roof for the night. It is a desperate situation.
Readers of this blog know this. We see it every day on our way to work or as part or our work. We fight with landlords to stop them evicting people (whether by acting for tenants or where local authorities try to persuade landlords to hold off on proceedings so as to keep someone in their home). We work to improve housing conditions. We come into housing because we believe that there is nothing more important than having somewhere to live. And it makes us angry – furious, even – that our society allows these problems to continue.
And it’s against that background that the recent National Audit Office report on Homelessness should be read. It’s only 52 pages but is a damning analysis of the DCLG and government as a whole. The overwhelming impression is that the government just doesn’t care about the homeless or about the effects of its policies. It just doesn’t care if people are pushed into poverty. The poor and homeless (as well as landlords receiving UC/HB payments) are just there to be the subject of experimentation. I shouldn’t feel this strongly about a NAO report, but, frankly, it makes me wonder how the DCLG staff can face themselves in the morning.
Let me explain.
*the number of households that applied for homelessness assistance in England in 2016-17; so the number of people affected will comfortably be double that.
** The number of people homeless upon the ending of an AST has risen three fold since 2011
*** 77,240 households are in t/a in England as at March 2017, which is significantly more than an average Parliamentary constituency
**** 4134. An increase of 134% since 2010.
Hold on to your temper as you continue to read J.’s post.Grateful thanks to the Current Awareness blog for this piece
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