In March, the Government introduced emergency response measures
to ban evictions and to bring everyone sleeping rough into safe
accommodation where they could self-isolate, like hotels, under
the Everyone In scheme.
Today (Thursday 29 October), new Government statistics for April
to June 2020 show the impact of these measures.
- 14% increase in the number of people living in temporary
accommodation, with a 60% increase in people living in B&Bs
since the same period last year, which include the hotels
provided under the Everyone In scheme
- 63,750 households were owed a homelessness duty down by 11%
from the same time last year caused by a drop in households at
risk of homelessness needing support
- The number of people who were at risk or became homeless from
the private rented sector have dropped 48% from the same time
last year.
- The number of at risk of becoming homeless as a result of a
Section 21 notice have dropped by 69% from the same time last
year.
Months on, with a second spike in coronavirus cases as we
approach winter and the financial impact of the pandemic being
felt, Crisis warns that the Government must take urgent action to
protect people at risk of homelessness.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said:
“These figures serve as a reminder of how beneficial the measures
put in place at the start of the pandemic, such as the ban on
evictions and the Everyone In scheme, were in protecting people
from the sharp edge of homelessness. However, these interventions
were only temporary and with the economic impact of the pandemic
really beginning to bite, we are starting to see this progress
unravel. More and more people are struggling to make ends meet as
jobs are lost, hours cut, and wages reduced.
“As winter approaches and the risk of people being pushed into
homelessness increases, Government must act now. We need to see
additional funding for local authorities, so they can prevent
homelessness from happening in the first place and support
renters who may have fallen into arrears because of the economic
pressures of the outbreak. We also need to see a longer-term plan
to give councils the resources to provide safe and settled
housing for people who are homeless and are stuck in temporary
accommodation, like B&Bs and hostels.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
Data available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2020
