Thousands ‘tipped into homelessness’ during winter

More than 60,000 households approached their local council in the final three months of last year and were found to be homeless or at risk of homelessness, official figures have revealed.

According to the charity Shelter, the latest government figures show that even with the eviction bad in place, tens of thousands of people were ‘tipped into homelessness’ as 2020 drew to a close.

At the end of December, 95,370 homeless households were living in temporary accommodation, an 8% increase in a year.

And 62,250 households approached their local council and were found to be homeless or at risk of homelessness between October and December.

One in six (17%) households were placed into emergency B&Bs and hostels.

The three most common triggers of homelessness during the period were households no longer being able to stay with families and friends (32%), the loss of a private tenancy (13%) and domestic abuse (12%).

‘To say the last year has been difficult for homeless families is a gross understatement, it’s been atrocious,’ said Shelter chief executive Polly Neate.

‘Months of lockdown and school closures spent in cramped, shoddy temporary accommodation with no space to learn or work, and often without access to basics like the internet or a washing machine.

‘The economic impact of the pandemic has exposed the true cost of decades of failure to build the social homes we need. More than 60,000 households were tipped into homelessness last winter – even with the evictions ban. In just over a month the ban on evictions is going to lift, and even more struggling families could be faced with the same fate,’ she added.

‘Despite the clear danger that homelessness will rise, the government remains focused on expensive homeownership schemes, rather than anything resembling truly affordable housing. If the government wants this country to recover quickly from the pandemic, investing in a new generation of secure social homes is an absolute must.’

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