Homelessness fear haunts a third of private renters, new poll suggests

More than one in five people in the UK fear they or someone they know could be homeless in the next 12 months.

And 77% of the population want Government to support the building of more social homes to address the issue.  

A new study, by social enterprise company Places for People, claims 21 per cent of people living in the UK fear they or someone they know will become homeless in the next year.     

The worry is even greater among renters – both private (30%) and social (29%) – compared to 15% among homeowners.  

Latest Government data shows 3,898 people were counted as sleeping rough across England on a single night in Autumn 2023, and 121 in Wales. In Scotland, 2,438 households reported rough sleeping during the previous three months before applying for support in 2022/2023.   

The most recent government data shows households living in temporary accommodation is at its highest ever level with 112,660 in England, 15,625 in Scotland and 5,700 in Wales.   

Meanwhile, according to the most recent available data, there are 1.29m households waiting for a social home in England, 110,900 in Scotland and 90,000 in Wales.   

Well over three-quarters (80%) of people think that homelessness is a major national issue and a similar proportion (77%) believe government needs to build more social homes to address the problem. Some 81% say government should provide more funding to prevent homelessness.    

A spokesperson for Places for People says: “These figures should alarm us all. What we found has bluntly exposed the worry that exists throughout the country. Sadly, however, they do not come as a surprise - for too long we have been highlighting the seriousness of the ever-growing homelessness crisis facing the UK.  

“With renters in both social and private properties most concerned, everything people are telling us points towards a desperate need to build more social homes, although delivering the right mix of all tenures remains vital to ease overall pressure. 

    “… As a sector, the concerns we have raised time and time again around the need for more social homes have not been listened to by government in recent years. So, we are now urging whoever forms the next government to listen to the people of the UK and put delivering more social homes at the top of your priority list. Talking’s over, it’s time to build.”  

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