UK Officials Label Current Situation as the ‘Worst Housing Crisis in Living Memory’
The government has announced that councils in England will be allocated £1 billion next year to address “the worst housing crisis in living memory.” Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Homelessness in England has increased by 14% over the past year, as indicated by a recent report.
In response to the escalating crisis, the British government has announced “the largest ever cash boost” aimed at addressing the rising destitution, which Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali has acknowledged as “the worst housing crisis in living memory.”
On Tuesday, it was disclosed that councils nationwide will receive nearly £1 billion in new funding for the upcoming year. This amount corresponds to the expenditure councils incurred on temporary accommodation for homeless families over the past year, according to recent data.
The funding is intended to prevent “households becoming homeless in the first place,” as stated in a press release.
Earlier this month, the housing charity Shelter highlighted the 14% rise in homelessness, estimating that at least 354,000 individuals are currently homeless in England, including approximately 161,500 children.
The charity has previously urged the government to “invest in genuinely affordable social homes” rather than “sinking billions into temporary solutions every year.”
The Labour government has pointed to “successive years of failure” to focus on prevention, resulting in an unprecedented number of households facing homelessness throughout England.
As the general election approached in July, which marked the end of more than ten years of Conservative governance, The Guardian published an opinion piece attributing Tory policy choices since 2010—such as the repeated capping and freezing of local housing benefits—as a “direct cause” of the escalating homelessness situation.
According to Shelter, the overall cost of homelessness in England has doubled over the last five years, reaching £2.3 billion between April 2023 and March 2024. This total includes £1 billion that councils spent on temporary accommodation for homeless families, as well as housing benefits.
Homelessness remains a significant concern across other areas of the UK as well. In Scotland, the government declared a national housing emergency in May. Spending on temporary accommodation in Wales surged seven-fold from 2018 to 2022. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland has seen nearly a four-fold increase in placements in temporary accommodation since 2019.
A recent survey revealed that 57% of the British public do not believe the government will ever manage to eliminate “significant levels” of homelessness.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
In response to the escalating crisis, the British government has announced “the largest ever cash boost” aimed at addressing the rising destitution, which Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali has acknowledged as “the worst housing crisis in living memory.”
On Tuesday, it was disclosed that councils nationwide will receive nearly £1 billion in new funding for the upcoming year. This amount corresponds to the expenditure councils incurred on temporary accommodation for homeless families over the past year, according to recent data.
The funding is intended to prevent “households becoming homeless in the first place,” as stated in a press release.
Earlier this month, the housing charity Shelter highlighted the 14% rise in homelessness, estimating that at least 354,000 individuals are currently homeless in England, including approximately 161,500 children.
The charity has previously urged the government to “invest in genuinely affordable social homes” rather than “sinking billions into temporary solutions every year.”
The Labour government has pointed to “successive years of failure” to focus on prevention, resulting in an unprecedented number of households facing homelessness throughout England.
As the general election approached in July, which marked the end of more than ten years of Conservative governance, The Guardian published an opinion piece attributing Tory policy choices since 2010—such as the repeated capping and freezing of local housing benefits—as a “direct cause” of the escalating homelessness situation.
According to Shelter, the overall cost of homelessness in England has doubled over the last five years, reaching £2.3 billion between April 2023 and March 2024. This total includes £1 billion that councils spent on temporary accommodation for homeless families, as well as housing benefits.
Homelessness remains a significant concern across other areas of the UK as well. In Scotland, the government declared a national housing emergency in May. Spending on temporary accommodation in Wales surged seven-fold from 2018 to 2022. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland has seen nearly a four-fold increase in placements in temporary accommodation since 2019.
A recent survey revealed that 57% of the British public do not believe the government will ever manage to eliminate “significant levels” of homelessness.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
