New research from the homeless charity Crisis casts light on a potential timebomb in the UK housing market – the hidden housing emergency facing older people on low incomes.
It dismantles the romanticised idea of retirement, showing instead that for many, older age is marked by financial stress, housing insecurity and in some cases, homelessness.
Drawing on survey data from over 1,600 people aged over 55 with low incomes and 13 in-depth interviews, the research makes clear that the security and comfort once expected in later life are being eroded by rising housing costs, inadequate benefits and a shortage of affordable homes.
Nearly half (47%) of low-income older people surveyed said they would have nowhere to go if they lost their home. One in five (17%) cannot afford to retire because of housing costs.
The knock-on effects of this insecurity are stark: over 40% reported increased stress and worry, nearly one-third have given up hobbies and two-thirds are cutting back on essentials like heating, hot water, and electricity.
The social cost is also profound, with many reducing contact with friends and family, leading to increased loneliness and isolation. Half are resorting to debt to cover housing costs.
The report also confronts the growing reality of older-age homelessness. Data from England shows a 50% rise in older people facing homelessness over the past five years and Scotland reflects a similar upward trend.
The human stories behind these numbers are harrowing – from older people sleeping rough and struggling with deteriorating health, to being unable to manage chronic conditions like diabetes in unsuitable temporary accommodation.
A 64 year old female interviewee in England said: ‘I’m not getting enough money. So, we are basically struggling with the council tax and with the rent and all the bills, put it that way, all the bills. We are struggling.’
The report links the crisis to issues such as the reliance on the private rented sector, the freeze on housing benefits, the chronic undersupply of social housing and the broader backdrop of rising poverty among older age groups.
In the report’s Foreword, Crisis Chief Executive Matt Downie MBE says: ‘People who should be enjoying a hard-earned retirement have been left hanging by a thread due to a years of chronic undersupply of genuinely affordable housing and an inadequate welfare system.
‘We need significant investment in more social homes to meet the needs of people for generations to come and it is vitally important that private renting is affordable now. The UK government must maintain investment in housing benefit, so it covers the cheapest third of rents across Great Britain.
‘To ignore this will mean more lives are blighted by the housing crisis and homelessness becomes a shameful norm for the older generation.’
The full report can be read here.
Photo: John Sekutowski
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