On 30/01/2023, The Guardian reported on Homeless Link's sector survey which found that nearly half oof respondents risk service closures due to the rising cost of living.
The survey, which received 356 responses from organisations across the country, also found that one in five services have already reduced services in response to cost of living pressures.
Responding to the statistics, Homeless Link CEO Rick Henderson said:
“Everyone deserves a safe place to live and the support they need to keep it. But these shocking statistics show we could see a major spike in the number of people sleeping rough in the near future.
“Due to local government funding pressures, the vast majority of homelessness services are having to scrape by on budgets set when inflation was a fraction of what it is now. Meanwhile, providing accommodation is energy intensive, with services unable to pass on the cost of higher energy bills to people they support.
“The Government made a commitment to end rough sleeping in England by 2024. But inaction now will lead to hundreds of vital services across the country shutting down, leaving the people they support with nowhere to turn but sleeping rough or other types of homelessness like sofa surfing or being placed in expensive emergency accommodation. These aren’t just statistics, but real people, forced backwards to return to homelessness, affecting their physical and mental health.”
“The Government can however prevent this through some simple interventions, such as uplifting funding for homelessness support in line with inflation, giving services the space to breathe.”