Homelessness

41,820 households were accepted as being homeless in England in the year ended March 2022 – in one year alone.

This figure is lower than before 2018 partly because of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 which aims to intervene with support for households at an early stage.

However, the chronic under-supply of affordable homes means that the use of temporary accommodation keeps increasing. Over 95,000 homeless households which include nearly 120,000 children live in temporary homes.

But even these official figures aren’t a complete measure. Local authorities have limited resources and are only required to house people who are judged to be in certain narrowly defined priority circumstances. As a result, there are thought to be many more ‘hidden’ homeless.

What does homelessness look like in your area? Has it declined, levelled-off or increased? Why do you think this is, and how does it impact your business?

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