Cost of living crisis and homelessness
It was before Christmas when I first met George, he was standing at Queen street in Oxford selling the Big Issue. I got us coffee and lunch and I sat with him discussing his life and his struggle with homelessness. George is one of the thousands of rough sleepers living in the UK. After working years for an affluent family in Oxfordshire, he was left without a home and a job after their sudden decision to sell their property without giving him any notice.
George is far from the only homeless person in the UK, and according to the latest statistics rough sleeping in England has been on the rise. There has been a 27% year on year increase in autumn 2023. The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2023 is 3,898, which has risen for the second year in a row, but remains lower than the peak in 2017.
Rough sleeping has increased in every region of England compared to the previous year. However, the largest increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough is in London, where there were 1,132 people this year compared to 858 people in 2022, an increase of 274 people or 32%.
The majority of rough sleeping is happening in areas where the house prices have been increasing, or are already too high for some people to be able to afford housing. Nearly half (46%) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn are in London and the South East, which is similar to previous years.
Despite living in a country with one of the world’s largest economies, people still are at risk of being homeless. The statistics that came out today revealed that more than 300,000 people are homeless in England and received support from the local councils during 2023.
The number of homeless people has been increasing over the last year, mainly due to the increase in costs of living and the changing housing market. A lot of people that became homeless reported that not being able to afford the accommodation, or because their landlord was selling their accommodation, was one of the reasons that contributed to their situation.
Also there has been a rapid increase in the number of people unable to rely on support from their family and friends during the cost of living crisis. An estimated 44,340 people were homeless because their family and friends were not able to support them in 2022, that number has increased to 50,350 during 2023, which is an increase of 14%.
Being homeless is not a choice and it is not a result of bad habits such as addiction, as is reported in Financial Times today. Homelessness is a consequence of economic circumstances such as the housing crisis we are living in today, but also is rooted to unsafe homes. There are a number of (non-financial) factors that can lead to homelessness such as domestic abuse, addicted parents or fleeing unsafe countries and seeking refuge.
Homelessness has economic impacts for the individuals and the economy in general, but one of the most critical impacts is the damaging effect on individuals' physical and mental health.
The toll that homelessness takes on an individual's mental health is one of the major ones, and has to do a lot with loneliness and loss of human contact. Even if individuals manage to find suitable accommodation, they will still have to live with the scars of their experience, which may have consequences for their future life outcomes.
That’s why it can be so important, if you see a homeless person in the street, to stop, have a chat with them and acknowledge them. The act of taking time and effort to engage in conversation and show compassion can go a long way to helping them feel better, more understood and not ignored in their difficult situation.