Each day almost 400 households become homeless in England (Shelter 2022).
The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns provided new challenges to homelessness in the UK: from the start of the pandemic to January 2022, a total of 222,360 households have become homeless, which equates to a city around the size of Liverpool.
For those in abusive households, lockdown provided intense pressure. Around 53% of applications for emergency accommodation in 2020/21 were on account of domestic abuse or relationship breakdown. (Crisis 2022). This has further contributed to the rise in homelessness.
Overall, homelessness is estimated to have increased by a third following the pandemic (Shelter 2022) which when compounded with the rising cost of living, means that life for vulnerable adults is only looking more challenging.
The government's Everyone In scheme aimed to provide 'safe harbour' to rough sleepers and those with shared air space in temporary accommodation, but when it came to enforcement there were complications due to varying local criteria and limited funding. In 2020/21, at least 22,000 families and individuals were rejected accommodation from their local councils on the grounds of not being in 'priority' need, or 'intentionally' homeless. (Crisis 2022). Accessibility for people in need has thus been very limited, and Bradford has faced very challenging times.
In England and Wales, it is estimated that 490 homeless people died in 2020 (Office for National Statistics 2021). This is a heart-breaking statistic, and should drive us all to call for change.
Currently Hope Housing has around 270 supported clients. Due to government cuts, over the last decade the number of supported accommodation units in Bradford has halved. Rough sleepers face an isolating and dangerous experience. Nobody deserves to live in an environment so volatile and unsafe. Work alongside us to help end homelessness in Bradford by volunteering, donating, or sharing our work.