Over 22,000 16-25-Year-Olds Face Christmas Homelessness

New data collected from councils across England by Centrepoint shows some 22,000 young people aged 16-25 will be or are at risk of homelessness this Christmas. Centrepoint says the true scale of the crisis is hard to imagine, but in England the number of young people at risk of not having a safe place to call home this winter is comparable to the capacity of a sold-out gig at The O2 arena in London (20,000), or Birmingham’s NEC Arena (15,600). In addition to the council data, Centrepoint spoke to more than 200 young people, each of whom have recently experienced homelessness. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/over-22000-16-25-year-olds-face-christmas-homelessness/

Rough Sleeping Is At A 20-Year High

More people will spend Christmas sleeping rough on the streets of Nottinghamshire this year than at any time in the last two decades. Local homeless people say that the problem is increasing at such a rate that, for the first time in 20 years, they fear someone may be found dead in a shop doorway this winter. So, The Post has teamed up with homelessness charity Framework to try to raise £30,000 to help take people off the streets this Christmas. Last month the Nottinghamshire charity had to cancel its annual sponsored sleep-out, due to fears that the fundraiser would be sabotaged by self-styled activists. This robbed Framework of up to £30,000. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Over 120,000 Children Will Wake Up Homeless This Christmas

Over 120,000 children in Britain face spending Christmas homeless and in temporary accommodation, the highest level recorded since 2007. The number of families living in emergency B&B and hostel rooms has risen by a worrying 18% in just a year. Shelter carried out in-depth interviews with 25 families currently or recently living in emergency B&B’s, hostels or sofa-surfing. Findings included:

·         Over 75% of families said they felt their accommodation was unsafe

·         Every family lived in a single room without any space for the children to play

·         60% had to share toilet and bathroom facilities

·         More than 67% said their room was in a state of disrepair, including mould, broken beds and stained mattresses

Read more on the Shelter blog.

More Than 103,000 Children 'Homeless At Christmas' In England

The number of children spending Christmas in temporary accommodation in England has reached a seven-year high, the housing charity Shelter has said. New figures show there were 14,670 households accepted as homeless between July and September, the largest number since 2008. According to Shelter, more than 103,000 children will spend Christmas in B&Bs, hostels or temporary rented homes. Ministers said the figures were still half the 2003 and 2004 peak. Read more on the Shelter blog.

100,000 Children Will Be Homeless This Christmas

100,000 children will be homeless this Christmas but councils have a duty to find children that have nowhere to live somewhere to sleep. Councils do their best but don’t have enough affordable housing and are only building half the homes needed each year, while the number of genuinely affordable homes falls. Combined with growing house prices, the shortage of affordable homes pushes more families into the private rented sector. The single leading cause of homelessness is the end of private tenancies. There’s nothing in law that stops landlords asking families to leave come the end of their short-term fixed tenancy. What makes it all harder is growing rent costs – combined with cuts to social security. They’ve removed the safety net that many low-income families need to cover costs. Read more on the Shelter blog.

90,000 Children in Britain to Face Christmas Homeless

90,000 children in Britain – the equivalent of three in every school – will spend this Christmas homeless, government figures show. With their helpline already stretched to breaking point, Shelter are launching an emergency appeal in response. The figures also show that the number of homeless families living in B&Bs has almost doubled in three years. This is particularly alarming following the shocking results of a Shelter investigation into living conditions in B&Bs. The in-depth investigation into 20 families found that well over half felt unsafe in their temporary accommodation, with parents reporting exposure to drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, swearing and racist language. Read more on the Shelter website.

Tenants Will Not Be Evicted Before Christmas, Landlord Says

The US investment company that has threatened to evict tenants from the New Era housing estate in east London and hike rents has said it will not turf families out before Christmas, as some had feared. Westbrook Partners broke its silence on its plans for the estate on Monday. The company said, “No changes to residents’ tenancy agreements and rents will be made until we have had the opportunity to meet tenants.” Resident campaigning against the planned evictions, however, said the statement would not allay their fears that the owners still plan to “socially cleanse” the estate and profit by tripling rents next year. Read more on the Guardian website.

Tenants Fear Eviction by Christmas after Rent Promise Rescinded

The New Era estate in Hoxton, which had until now provided affordable rents to local people, was bought this year by Westbrook Partners, a US-based private property investment group. Westbrook passed management of the homes to the Benyon Estate, co-owned by the Conservative MP Richard Benyon, which bought a small stake. Following a wave of negative reports about their plans for the estate, the Benyon Estate announced it was pulling out as residents had “made it clear that they do not welcome our involvement”. As residents celebrated an apparent victory four Hackney councillors hand-delivered letters warning of Westbrook’s new plans.  The councillors said they had previously urged Benyon and Westbrook not to increase rents on the estate to market values, which in some cases would lead to a rise from about £600 a month to nearer £2,400. The letter said they had secured an agreement not to increase rents again until 2016. However, it added: “We understand the council have now been informed that Westbrook no longer plan to honour that plan, and have been told that their plan is to refurbish the current estate in its entirety and then rent all the properties without secure tenancies at market rent levels, with no affordable housing.” Read more on the Guardian website.

Tenants Facing Pre-Christmas Eviction

Hundreds of people, including many who are elderly and in poor health, face being kicked out of their homes in the run up to Christmas after losing a test case – despite the judge saying they may have been the innocent victims of fraud. All the tenants affected found themselves in this situation after being persuaded several years ago to sell their homes to companies that promised they could continue living in them. Many were in dire financial straits at the time and were told that in return for selling their houses at knockdown prices they would enjoy a discounted rent for life as well as other potential benefits. But a judge at the supreme court, which has just ruled on the case, said the former owners “may have been ... the victims of a fraud which tricked them out of their homes” and added that criminal charges were pending.  Read more on the Guardian website.

90,000 Children in Britain to Face Christmas Homeless

90,000 children in Britain – the equivalent of three in every school – will spend this Christmas homeless, government figures show. With their helpline already stretched to breaking point, Shelter are launching an emergency appeal in response. The figures also show that the number of homeless families living in B&Bs has almost doubled in three years. This is particularly alarming following the shocking results of a Shelter investigation into living conditions in B&Bs. Read more on the Shelter website.

Councils Defend B&B Use in Wake of Shelter Report

A “chronic shortage” of housing forces councils to use B&Bs to house homeless people, said the Local Government Association (LGA) in answer a Shelter report highlighting the problem in the run up to Christmas.  "No council ever wants to place a family in bed and breakfast accommodation but, with growing demand for help and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, this is sometimes the only option available to keep a family together with a roof over their heads, ” said Councillor Mike Jones, chairman of the LGA’s environment and housing board. "Shelter's report highlights exactly why house building needs to be a national priority. “ Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

80,000 Children Facing Homelessness This Christmas

A Shelter investigation today reveals ‘shocking’ conditions experienced by homeless families, as government figures show that 80,000 children in Britain will be homeless this Christmas. For many this means emergency housing in B&Bs, where children face particularly difficult conditions. Almost half of the families interviewed reported children witnessing disturbing incidents, including open drug use and threats of violence. One child was directly threatened by a man in her B&B after an argument over a shared bathroom. The majority of families interviewed said they felt unsafe in their emergency accommodation. Read more on the Shelter website.

35,000 Face Loss of Home before Christmas

An estimated 35,000 people across Britain face the prospect of losing their homes between now and Christmas. The warning comes as Shelter’s Christmas campaign shows that every two minutes someone faces losing their home. This could mean an estimated 35,000 people – 630 people a day - will receive a letter threatening the loss of their home between now and Christmas which could see them ending up in court, fighting to keep their home. Shelter’s campaign features six families who were either homeless last Christmas or who are living under the threat of homelessness now. Read more on the Shelter website.