Number of homeless pensioners in England hits 10-year high, figures show

The number of homeless pensioners across England has hit a record high, with more than 2,500 people over the age of 60 now without a home, figures show.

Campaigners have warned that elderly people are “bearing the brunt” of the housing crisis after official data revealed the figure has surged by 115 per cent in eight years.

A total of 2,520 over-60s were recorded as being homeless by their local council in the past year, compared with 1,170 in 2009-10. Some will be in temporary accommodation, but others will be sofa surfing and sleeping on the streets.

There has also been a sharp rise in the number of single parent families who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation, with the figure now standing at 38,390 – an increase of 54 per cent in the past five years.

The data shows lone parent families are disproportionality affected by homelessness, accounting for 63 per cent of all families living in temporary accommodation, despite making up just 23 per cent of all families in England.

It comes amid a continuing rise in overall homelessness – with 79,880 households living in temporary accommodation at the end of March 2018 – up 3 per cent on a year earlier. Of these, 77 per cent (61,190) included dependent children and/or a pregnant woman.

Tens of thousands of these households are being forced to wait for more than a decade to move into social housing as the number of social homes falls to a record low.

An analysis by Shelter earlier this month showed that of the 1.15 million households currently on waiting lists, at least 310,500 have been waiting to be moved into social homes for more than half a decade, with some having waited for as many as 18 years.

Responding to the new figures, John Healey, the shadow housing secretary, said the “shocking” rise in homelessness since 2010 should “shame Conservative ministers”.

He continued: “Homelessness fell at an unprecedented rate under Labour, but after eight years of failure on housing under the Tories, 123,000 children are now without a home.

“This is a direct result of Conservative decisions: a steep drop in investment for affordable homes, cuts to housing benefit, reduced funding for homelessness services, and a refusal to help private renters.”

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said the figures made it clear that the country was in the “firm grip of a housing crisis” and that older people and single parents were both “bearing the brunt”.

“Something as simple as a family breakdown can push older people from a shared family home into private renting, yet huge rents and unforgiving welfare cuts mean they lose their homes,” she said.

“If we want to protect more people from the ravages of homelessness, the government must come up with a bold new plan for social housing and in the short term, ensure housing benefit covers the actual cost of rents.”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "The fact that an increasing number of older people were without even the basic security of a home is a national wake up call.

“Whilst the Homelessness Reduction Act has meant some improvements to the help offered to older homeless people, without an increase in affordable housing these figures are likely to continue growing.

“It’s terrible to think of any older person having nowhere to call home, and these worrying new figures show that homelessness in old age is becoming a really significant social problem & one we need to get a grip on as a nation, and fast.”

Local councils said the rise in homelessness was “deeply worrying” and urged public bodies to cooperate with them to tackle the issue, as well as calling on the government to enable councils to borrow in order to build new homes.

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s (LGA) housing spokesman, said: “Councils are determined to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place and do all they can to support families.

“The people caught up in our homelessness crisis can’t afford for us to wait. It’s now crucial that we take the serious measures that are needed to get towards our collective ambition to end homelessness outright.”

In response to the figures, homelessness minister Nigel Adams said: “Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live. We’re investing £1.2bn to support those who are homeless and have brought in the most ambitious legislation in decades to help prevent people at risk of homelessness.

“There are encouraging signs that this concerted action is beginning to make a difference – homelessness acceptances are down 6 per cent on the same quarter last year and fewer vulnerable people, including children, are in B&Bs.

“But it’s clear we have more to do. That’s why we’ve engaged experts in the field to ensure we have the right measures in place.”