Governmental failures have facilitated the rise of homelessness. The most obvious solution to homelessness is to build more social housing. Britain’s lack of social housing is rooted in the right-to-buy scheme, alongside a decrease in building social housing. This has caused a steep decline in available housing.
However, ensuring social housing is a long-term solution, and cannot be provided overnight. In terms of short-term solutions, the government must make the private rented sector more accessible. While landlord's profits reach the highest point since 2022, homelessness continues to rise. The government's 'Everyone In' programme to assist rough sleepers through the COVID-19 crisis was praised as one of the most effective responses to the pandemic. This demonstrates the real possibility of decreasing, or even ending, homelessness in the UK.
This demonstrates the real possibility of decreasing, or even ending, homelessness in the UK.
In the wider government, £1 billion was allocated to ending rough sleeping in the UK. Yet, the increase in homelessness in the UK is poorly addressed by individual councils. Newcastle City Council proposed last year that it would reduce its spending on homelessness by half, despite homelessness increasing. The cuts have since been reversed due to backlash, but the initial proposal of the cuts made the lack of priority regarding the homelessness crisis.
This has led to overwhelming pressure on homelessness charities. Homeless charity New Horizon have spent £50,000 so far this year, in comparison to £100,000 over the entirety of last year. This increase in demand is widespread across homeless charities in the UK.
Young people can face additional challenges which makes it harder to afford and find suitable housing. Under-35s receive fewer housing benefits, under-25s get less universal credit, and under-21s have a lower minimum wage; all of which is based on age. This leads to an increased need for assistance from homeless charities to provide housing and shelter for young people.
The increasing pressure on charities is indicative of a crisis. The rising number of homeless young people is at its core a failure of policy. Governmental plans to address homelessness must take into account the intertwined nature of poverty and age, and respond with this as a priority. If the government could implement a policy successfully dealing with homelessness during the pandemic, it can do so again. Without urgent intervention, more young people will become homeless, and charities will be left to pick up the pieces of governmental failure.