1 in 38 people in Southwark to be homeless this Christmas
New analysis by Shelter has revealed that 1 in 38 people in Southwark will be homeless this Christmas, which is the 9th highest council area in the country. Across England it is 1 in 160.
The statistics also show that there are around 3500 children who are homeless in Southwark which represents 40% of the total homeless population.
Additional analysis by the Liberal Democrats showed that in Southwark, 61% of homeless households with children had lived in temporary accommodation for over 2 years, compared to a national average of 45%. In Southwark, one in four homeless households with children have been waiting for a permanent home for over five years.
Temporary accommodation includes hostels, bed and breakfasts, and private accommodation arranged by the Council. Due to increasing costs and a shortage of housing, often these are far away from family and friends. Over half of those in temporary accommodation are not in Southwark.
Shelter have said that the chronic shortage of social housing has led to this crisis, leaving over a million households on social housing waiting lists across the country.
In Southwark, council housebuilding collapsed by 96% last year, and there are 17,500 households on the waiting list.
The human cost of this is clear, but the financial cost to the council’s coffers are also eyewatering – according to internal queries made during last year’s budget setting process, the council was forecast to spend over £20 million on temporary accommodation in 2023/2024, rising from £5 million in 2017.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition Cllr Victor Chamberlain said:
“It is a mark of shame that once again Southwark tops these tables. London’s housing crisis is one of Labour’s making – it has been their failure to get enough social and affordable housing built that has forced families with children to live out of suitcases in temporary accommodation for years on end. Everyone deserves a safe, affordable, secure home, so it’s devastating to see these levels of homelessness, especially at this time of year.”