A new report by homelessness charity Shelter has outlined the scale of the homelessness crisis in Britain.
According to the latest official data, 320,000 people were homeless in Britain at the end of March this year, an increase of four per cent – or 13,000 people – in just nine months. That adds up to 47 people becoming homeless each day.
The report, Homelessness in Great Britain – The Numbers Behind the Story shows the government is not getting to grips with the homelessness crisis.
The detailed report uses the latest figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It compiles the latest statistics of people are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, rough sleeping, in hostels or being temporarily housed under the Children’s Act.
Record numbers of people are sleeping on the streets or stuck in the cramped confines of a hostel room
The report also shows the rate of increase in homelessness is highest in the West Midlands, where homelessness has increased by 12 per cent. Yorkshire and Humber, and the North West of England, also saw increases in excess of ten per cent.
Chief Executive of Shelter, Polly Neate, said: “These new figures show that homelessness is having a devastating impact on the lives of people right across the country.