The Alarming Rise of Homelessness in Rural England

A British rural charity's report reveals a 40% rise in homelessness, with many resorting to sleeping in the open due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Homelessness in rural England has seen a significant increase of 40 percent over the past five years, according to a report by a British rural charity. Many individuals are resorting to sleeping in the open air, tents, or makeshift shelters due to the rising cost of living in the G7 nation and the world's sixth-biggest economy. The cost-of-living crisis has left many Britons struggling to cope with escalating bills for food, energy, rent, and mortgages.

The annual inflation rate reached a 41-year peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022, before dropping to 3.9 percent in November. Charities attribute the rise in homelessness and food poverty to a range of factors, including cuts to welfare payments over the past decade and a shortage of housing. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) charity reported that homelessness in rural areas has surged from 17,212 in 2018 to 24,143 in 2023, with stagnant wages and increasing housing costs in many regions.

The charity highlighted the impact of record house prices, lengthy waiting lists for social-rent housing, and the surge in second homes and short-term lets as contributing factors to the sharp rise in rural homelessness. It also pointed out that 12 local authorities across England, designated as predominantly rural, have levels of rough sleeping higher than the national average of 15 people per 100,000.

The town of Boston, northeast of London, was identified as the worst-affected rural local authority for rough sleeping, with 48 people per 100,000 sleeping rough in September 2023. This was followed by Bedford, north of London, with 38 per 100,000, and North Devon in southwest England with 29. The CPRE charity emphasized that people sleeping rough in the countryside are often hidden out of sight, camping in fields or seeking shelter in farm buildings, and are less likely to have access to support services.

The Shelter charity estimated that levels of homelessness across England this Christmas are likely to be 14 percent higher than last year, with an estimated 309,550 people in some form of homelessness on any given night in 2023. The Trussell Trust, the UK's largest food bank network, reported a 16 percent increase in the number of food parcel handouts to people in need, reaching unprecedented levels.

The rise in rural homelessness in England is a concerning issue that demands urgent attention and action from authorities and policymakers. The combination of soaring house prices, a housing shortage, and a cost-of-living crisis has led to a significant increase in homelessness, particularly in rural areas. Addressing this crisis will require comprehensive measures to provide affordable housing and support services to those in need.