8k8 promotion centerHomelessness in England hits record high: watchdog

LONDON -- Homelessness in England has increased in recent years and is now at "the highest level since comparable data collection began in the early 2000s," said a report released recently by an independent public spending watchdog.

In the report, the National Audit Office (NAO) said that, despite the country's Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, the situation of homelessness has worsened since 2017 and is expected to deteriorate further.

The report found that from the third quarter of 2018-19 to the same period in 2023-24, the number of households accepted by their local authority as homeless rose by 23 percent to 78,980. Meanwhile, the number of households in temporary accommodation increased by 35 percent to 112,660.

The NAO said in the report that homelessness in recent years is associated with "interrelated factors" including a lack of housing for social rent, the "relatively high cost of the housing," and periodic capping and freezing of the Local Housing Allowance.

According to the report, local authority spending on homelessness services has more than doubled since 2010-11, reaching 2.44 billion pounds ($3.15 billion) in 2022-23.

The NAO also said that although there have been some improvements, "the government still has no strategy or public targets" for reducing homelessness, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is falling behind in improving housing supply. DLUHC was renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government earlier this month.

"Funding remains fragmented and generally short-term, inhibiting homelessness prevention work and limiting investment in good-quality temporary accommodation or other forms of housing," it added.

"Every homelessness case is a human tragedy," said Grace Williams, executive member for housing and regeneration of London Councils, highlighting the urgent need for a new approach to address the problem.

"Better coordination across government departments, greater housing security, sufficient funding for councils, and more investment in building affordable homes are key to turning the situation around," Williams added.