Today, Crisis responds to the Ministry for House, Communities and Local Government statistics for England. These numbers, while experimental statistics, are the first full years worth of data issued since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) in April 2018.

The data shows in the last year:

• 263, 720 households have experienced homelessness or have been at the brink of homelessness in England
• 58,290  households have been prevented from becoming homeless since the introduction of the HRA
• 40,010 households had their homelessness relieved since the introduction of the HRA
• 8,230 people who are at risk of, or have experienced homelessness are over the age of 65.
   

Responding to the announcement, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive at Crisis, said: “Everyone has the right to a decent home, and it’s great to see the success the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) has had in its first year, preventing nearly 60,000 households becoming homeless in England. Despite this over 7,000 households are currently in B&Bs, unable to access safe and secure accommodation. Our clients tell us of damaged, and even dangerous conditions, where they lack basic cooking and laundry facilities and face the constant pressure eviction at short notice. No one should have to live like this.

“We know we can do better. The HRA has great potential, but it can only go so far when people are being pushed to the brink, struggling to meet the cost of housing. The Government needs to tackle the root causes of this issue - investing in building more social housing and restoring Local Housing Allowance (LHA), so that it covers the true cost of renting.”