More than 7,000 people in the South West are homeless, with others at risk
The number of people recorded as homeless in the South West has reached 7,127, new figures from Shelter have revealed.
Shelter’s extensive analysis of official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures shows the picture of homelessness in the region has not improved since 2016, when the charity first published its landmark annual report.
For the first time, the charity’s review of government data has also exposed that close to 22,000 people in the South West were threatened with homelessness in the last year.
Despite being the most comprehensive overview of homelessness in the country, it’s widely known that a lot of homelessness goes undocumented, including sofa surfing and some rough sleeping. This means the true level of homelessness will be even higher than today’s count. Shelter is warning that unless the new government takes urgent action to address the dire lack of social homes at the crux of this emergency, the situation is likely to get worse.
Alongside its bid to get more social housing built, the charity is calling on the public to support its frontline workers as they grapple with huge demand this Christmas. In the last year, a call was made to Shelter’s emergency helpline every 44 seconds and its free webchat service was used almost 26,000 times.
Penny Walster, Shelter Bristol Hub Manager, said: “Homelessness blights lives and leaves a lasting imprint of trauma, and yet more than 7,000 people in the South West are without a home this Christmas. And many are only days away from joining them.
“As well as those facing serious ill-health or even death sleeping rough on our streets this winter, there are too many families trapped in grotty emergency B&Bs, with no space for children to sit and eat, let alone play. This is the grim truth our new government must confront and do something radical to change.
“Until the government acts to stem this crisis, the work of our frontline advisers remains critical. With the public’s support we will do everything we can to help people find a safe and stable place to live – no matter how long it takes.”
The charity’s report, ‘This is England: a picture of homelessness in 2019’, identifies the areas where homelessness is most acute in the South West. Christchurch topped the list with 1 in every 277 people now homeless, followed by Gloucester (1 in 287) and Bristol (1 in 288).
To donate to Shelter’s urgent Christmas appeal please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70030 to donate £3. Texts cost your standard network rate + £3. Shelter receives 100% of your donation.
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