WIREDGOV

On 13/10/2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities released the annual statistics release for statutory homelessness assessments in England between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023.

Key statistics within the report include (compared to 2021/22):

• 5% increase in households at risk of homelessness and owed a prevention duty (104,790).
• 9% increase in households experiencing homelessness and owed a relief duty (157,640).
• 104,510 households were in temporary accommodation up 10% from the same period last year
• 23% increase in people at risk of homelessness due to a Section 21 “no fault eviction” (24,260 households), 48% in London (4,240 households).
• 5% increase (3,610 households) in households spending more than 6 months in temporary accommodation, rising to an 18% for households living in B&Bs.
• 9% increase in people in-work at risk of, or experiencing homelessness.

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, said: 

“The sharp rise in private sector evictions leading to homelessness and record numbers of households forced to live in temporary accommodation over the past year is a symptom of the huge paucity of genuinely affordable homes.

“Prolonged inflation has led to rents in the private rented sector rising sharply, but Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the benefit which is supposed to support private tenants on low incomes, has remained frozen since April 2020. In many areas, people who rely on benefits now have zero affordable options to rent privately.

“In the upcoming Autumn Statement, the Chancellor must uplift LHA to help prevent thousands more people, including children, from becoming homeless, whilst helping those that are experiencing homeless find a home they can afford.”