New research carried out on behalf of emergency accommodation provider – Howarth Housing Group – has found that 35 per cent of UK residents live in daily fear of becoming homeless.
Speaking to GB News, Managing Director of Howarth Housing – Benjamin Howarth – explained the impact of the increased costs of rents, mortgages and utilities, saying that it has created a “never-ending spiral of fear” of people losing their homes.
He said: “Only a very small percentage of people have enough money to survive for three months. If you compare that to just six or seven years ago, people had disposable income that would keep them going for six to 12 months.
"Now most people have less than three. Most people… have less than one month. So, if they lost their income today, they would only be able to pay their bills for a single month.”
Homelessness is on the rise due to the cost of living crisis
GB NEWS
He attributes this as one of the main reasons for such a large portion of the population genuinely fear losing their home on a daily basis.
However, homelessness isn’t always a visible issue. In fact, Benjamin told GB News that rough sleeping only makes up around “5 to 10 per cent” of the homeless population in the UK.
Instead, he says that the main form of this issue is what’s called "the hidden homeless".
He explained that these are people who might be staying with friends of family, are sofa-surfing, or may have organised their own temporary accommodation, for example.
Homeless charity worker Risha Lancaster has warned the UK is 'heading for a massive crisis'
GB NEWS
In Manchester, homelessness charity – Coffee4Craig – has admitted that they don’t just get what they called the “stereotypical homeless person that people think of.”
Instead, they regularly see people “from every walk of life.”
Speaking on behalf of the charity, Risha Lancaster said, “we’re heading for a massive crisis, and I think it’s going to get worse before it even starts to get better.”
At Coffee4Craig, they offer a nightly service where homeless people in the area can access a hot meal and whatever support they might need to try and get back on their feet.