One in seven adults (14%) – equivalent to more than six million people – in England are more worried about becoming homeless due to the pandemic, new research by Shelter reveals.
With people’s incomes slashed, job losses mounting, and people hanging onto their homes by a thread, the charity expects the pressure on its frontline services to only grow.
Eleanor Wilson, a Shelter helpline adviser recruited in response to the pandemic, said:“People are frightened, they’re scared they might do the wrong thing, they don’t know their rights and they’re really worried they will lose their home. People can be quite distressed and don’t know where to turn. It can be emotional because you feel responsible for every caller.”
Unsurprisingly, Shelter’s latest poll carried out by YouGov, shows it is private renters who have fared the worst during the Coronavirus crisis. A staggering one in four private renting adults now fear becoming homeless (2.2 million people).
Private renters are also almost twice as likely to feel depressed and anxious about their housing situation, compared with the general public). In fact, nearly half of private renters say they are more depressed and anxious in light of the pandemic.
These concerns are not unfounded when a quarter of private renters (2 million people) have seen their income decrease in the last six months, and many are struggling to pay their rent.
In just the last month, 24% of private renters have had to borrow money to pay their rent,18% have cut back on food or skipped meals to pay their rent and 12% have cut back on heating their home to pay their rent
This worrying snapshot of the people struggling to get by during the pandemic chimes with the charity’s frontline services data, which shows two-thirds (63%) of calls answered by its emergency helpline in the last year were from people already homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Through our helpline we have seen just how scared people are about their homes and their futures. People’s lives are literally on the line. They are desperately struggling, and the threat of homelessness is very real.
“At Shelter we are working hard to keep people safe in their homes. Thanks to the generous support of the public and our partners we have been able to answer double the number of calls, but we need to keep this up if we are going to weather the coming storm. To make sure we can always be on the other end of the line, we’re asking the public to support our appeal.”
Shelter helpline adviser, Eleanor Wilson, continued: “I started working at Shelter’s emergency helpline in September. One of the most surprising things is the sheer volume of people who are teetering on the edge of homelessness. There are now a lot more of us to answer the phone, but the amount of calls is just relentless.
“The helpline is so important. When people get through to us they’ve often called everyone else and they’re running out of options. When we are able to offer support, advice, and an action plan – it’s fantastic. I’ve got people off sleeping on the streets, kept people from being illegally evicted, and found last minute emergency accommodation for families facing homelessness that very night.”
Thangam Debbonaire MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, said:
“A decade of Conservative Governments has weakened the foundations of our economy. As a result, we came into this crisis with too many people just a few steps away from homelessness.
“Renters have been barely considered throughout this crisis. The Government promised that no-one will lose their home because of coronavirus, but holes in their so-called evictions ban mean thousands of people have been made homeless at the height of the pandemic.
“The Government must strengthen the ban on evictions and deal with the growing arrears crisis.”
Darren Baxter, Housing Policy & Partnerships Manager at JRF said:
“These findings highlight the appalling toll the pandemic is having on the mental health of private renters, a group that have been hit hard over the last year. JRF’s own research last year found millions of people were anxious about paying their rent over winter, and as no action has been taken on rent arrears since then, it is concerning but perhaps unsurprising that these fears have only intensified.
“The Chancellor remained silent on support for rent arrears in the Budget, instead freezing housing benefit levels and prioritising policies that will maintain high house prices. We are now really concerned that the temporary eviction ban is the only dam holding back a flood of evictions, and that once it is removed in May we will see a wave of repossessions and a surge in homelessness.
“If it is to make good on its commitment to end homelessness, the Government must introduce a targeted package of support to address high rent arrears and re-link housing benefit levels to the real cost of renting.”
