Three in four say poor must not pay for deficit

23 December 2009

As Crisis opens its doors to homeless people this Christmas, the charity warns that despite the budget deficit, 75% of the British public want the Government to address the growing gap between rich and poor.

A YouGov poll commissioned by Crisis also shows that the majority of people in UK (60% of those with an opinion) say that the recession has made them more worried about the gap between rich and poor and the same proportion want to see the poorest protected from budget cuts as they can least afford to pay.

Two of the nine centres are open to the media on Weds 23 Dec. More details in editors' notes.

  • Images inside rough sleepers' centre with panoramic City backdrop, illustrating rich-poor gap
  • Interviews with Crisis spokespeople/volunteers/homeless Christmas guests
  • Christmas services such as healthcare, eye tests, education and advice

The pre-Budget report has already confirmed cuts of £500m in housing and regeneration budgets plus further cuts in services funded by legal aid. With potentially huge cuts in public spending expected whoever wins the general election, the survey showed that 63% of people with an opinion think the Government should continue to support services that prevent and help to tackle homelessness, provided other vital public services are not compromised.

Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "The British public wants action to address the gap between rich and poor. In a country of 242,000 millionaires, nothing highlights the stark contrast more than the homeless people we will welcome to our centres this Christmas. This recession has hit the poorest hardest and the British public is not prepared for them to bear the brunt of any public spending cuts. With the election looming, politicians vying for votes must recognise people's desire for a fairer society. They must not forget those who are poorest, amongst whom homeless people are some of the most vulnerable. They must pledge to protect them."

Full impact of recession yet to be felt  

Following a year in which half a million people lost their jobs and repossessions have been at their highest rate since the mid 1990s, the prospect of homelessness remains a serious concern. Whilst some measures taken by the Government and the private sector have had an effect, such as in slowing the rate of repossessions, nearly a quarter (23%) of people said they were still worried that, as they look to the new year, they might lose their home or be forced to move out because of the UK's current economic problems. In addition, many tens of thousands of homeless people never benefited from the boom times and face being left even further behind with greater pressures on housing, jobs and support.

Leslie Morphy said: "Despite predictions of an economic upturn we are not out of the woods yet. A quarter of people are still worried and previous recessions tell us that unemployment and broader issues and pressures such as mental health problems, relationship breakdown and, in turn, homelessness, all follow on for some time behind the initial economic turmoil."

Crisis is calling for:

  • All main political parties to commit to ending homelessness
  • Protection for spending on social programmes, particularly services to prevent and solve homelessness
  • An assault on poverty including that of single people - not just families

For further media information, please contact Garry Lemon on 020 7426 3880 or garry.lemon@crisis.org.uk, Phil Power 020 7426 3832 or phil.power@crisis.org.uk, or Jenny Westaway on 020 7426 3863 or jenny.westaway@crisis.org.uk out of hours mobile contact 07973 372 587

Notes to editors

  • Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change. Our innovative education, employment, housing and well-being services address individual needs and help homeless people to transform their lives. We measure our success and can demonstrate tangible results and value for money. We are determined campaigners, working to prevent people from becoming homeless and advocating solutions informed by research and our direct experience. We have ambitious plans for the future and are committed to help more people in more places across the UK. We know we won't end homelessness overnight or on our own. But we take a lead, collaborate with others and together make change happen.
  • Filming/photo/interview opportunities on Weds Dec 23. For the first time, media will be given access to two Crisis Christmas centres. Morning: rough sleepers' centre in Docklands. Fantastic visual opportunities from rough sleeping area across the water to the City, interviews with Crisis spokespeople, volunteers, homeless guests. Afternoon: day centre at City of London Academy, Lynton Road, Bermondsey, SE1. Filming opportunities of Crisis Christmas services such as healthcare, hairdressing, eye tests and podiatry. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, entrance to the centres is strictly by name only. Media access to the centres will only be permitted to contacts who have email confirmation of attendance from the Crisis press team.
  • Rising poverty figures can be found in Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2009, (Tom Macinnes et al. 2009)
  • All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2100 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th and 17th December 2009.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
  • Alastair Darling announced in the PBR that CLG will have to contribute £500 million to £5 billion of additional savings by 2012/12.
  • Crisis Christmas will see around 8,000 volunteers welcome around 2,000 homeless and vulnerably housed guests at nine centres around the capital over the Christmas week. As well as providing warm meals, companionship, and accommodation for rough sleepers, Crisis Christmas tackles the year-round problem of homelessness by linking guests into ongoing services.

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