Will you be homeless this Christmas?

 
Christmas is just around the corner, but there are many people without a home. During Covid, there was a freeze on evictions, but now this has been lifted. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, things are getting tougher and it’s very easy to find yourself without a home.  
 
According to The Big Issue (10 October, 2022), it is impossible to count how many people are homeless in the UK. Some people are staying at friends’ or relatives’ houses, sleeping on sofas, so these numbers are hidden.

COLD CARDBOARD SKY, a song that I wrote about homelessness, which my uncle Billy sings (he also did the melody – I have zero musical talent!), is available on Spotify & other places, raising money for Shelter. https://open.spotify.com/album/1f7hv7TCzkucECdySrDgXt
 
According to Crisis, about 227,000 people were homeless in 2021 – either rough sleeping, sleeping in vans or sheds, or in B&Bs.
 
English councils helped more than 278,000 households with homelessness between April 2021 and March 2022 – that’s 16% higher than the previous year.
 
No-fault evictions – which the government said would be banned – still exist. Almost 230,000 private renters have been given one since 2019.
 
According to the latest official count, the number of people rough sleeping on the street has grown steadily since 2010. The number is now 38% higher than in 2010.
 
According to Chain, 8,239 rough sleepers were counted in London between April 2021 and March 2022.
 
According to Crisis, the average lifespan of a homeless man is 46. For women, this falls to 42. Homeless people are nine times more likely to commit suicide.
 
These are the government statistics for April to June 2022:

• 72,210 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, and owed a statutory homeless duty;
• 33,570 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness and owed a prevention duty;
• 35,610 households were initially assessed as homeless and owed a relief duty;
• 11, 810 households were accepted as owed a main homelessness duty;
• 94,870 households were in temporary accommodation.

 
According to the government, these were the main reasons for homelessness:

• End of private rented tenancy (rising by 60% on previous quarter);
• Family/friends no longer able to accommodate them;
• Domestic abuse (up 5%).