In advance of the Government’s Budget, councils in London have warned that the amount they are spending on temporary accommodation is unsustainable: one in 50 people are reported to live in temporary accommodation in the capital, costing £90 million per month. Our Regional Head in London, Ish Camp, comments on this being another sign of the homelessness crisis:
“Temporary accommodation can never be a long-term solution to the UK’s homelessness crisis – it is a sticking plaster at a time of scant and unaffordable housing, rising rents and bills, and a fragile jobs market.
“St Mungo’s outreach teams are seeing increased numbers of people on the streets as there just isn’t enough room in temporary accommodation. For people who are already in temporary accommodation, not having somewhere stable to live can take its toll mentally, physically, and financially.
“In order to end homelessness for good, we need to see more rent controls and investment in building social housing as well as homelessness intervention services – like we run at St Mungo’s.”
