This past year has been incredibly tough for everyone. Families and individuals, charities and those facing homelessness – everyone has been feeling the strain. With the cost of living crisis showing no signs of abating, and the November Autumn Statement not offering anywhere near enough support for those in need, it’s been a busy year for the entire team here at Simon on the Streets. 

As we plan for next year, we’ve been reflecting on our outreach work and the developments across the charity sector in 2022. Let’s take a look.

Cost of living crisis

For those already facing homelessness, the cost of living crisis has been an incredibly worrying time. The additional financial burdens placed on individuals who are struggling have been too much for some.

An analysis by homeless charity Crisis found that in the worst-case scenario, at least 1.7 million renting households on the lowest incomes will be spending, on average, 133% of their monthly income on rent, food and energy in January 2023. Pushing so many people beyond their financial limits, and to the brink of homelessness.

As the situation worsens, it’s inevitable that more people will become homeless next year, with studies forecasting that approximately 66,000 more people will be homeless by 2024.

The Autumn Statement

The Autumn Statement was released in November 2022. Like so many others across the  sector, we had hoped this would be an opportunity for the government to offer the essential support that people needed this winter.

Whilst there were undoubtedly positives to be found, they simply didn’t go far enough – especially in the case of private renters. The Local Housing Allowance will stay frozen at levels based on 2018-2019 rents until March 2024. The consequences of this will be detrimental, as rent payments are continuously rising at record-breaking rates, the highest in over 14 years.

With only certain people offered benefits, the freezing of the Local Housing Allowance, the lack of investment in social housing – all on top of the cost of living crisis – we’re very likely to see more people pushed into homelessness by 2023.

Increased deaths

Deaths of those facing homelessness have increased in every region across the UK since 2013. There were 741 reported deaths of people experiencing homelessness in 2021 – an increase of 7.7% since 2020. 

Evidence from Crisis tells us we could see over 300,000 households experiencing the worst forms of homelessness in 2023, an increase of a third over three years. In all likelihood, this is only likely to increase the number of deaths for those facing homelessness. You can read more about this issue in one of our previous blogs here. 

As we enter a new year, we can only hope for more sustained, effective solutions and benefits from the government. Without this, the consequences will be catastrophic. 

Here at Simon on the Streets, we’re still out there. We’re committed to providing ongoing and long-lasting support. To continue doing so, we need your help. Find out more here about how you can get involved.