We need a national strategy to tackle rural homelessness
Some very concern stats for those interested in rural housing, or the lack of it, here. This story tells us:
Since 2010, the number of people sleeping rough in England has more than doubled, with 4,137 individuals recorded as rough sleepers in autumn 2016. New figures due to be released later this month by the Department for Communities and Local Government are not expected to show any improvement; if anything the figures are likely to show a worsening situation.
Homelessness is not confined to the streets of towns and cities. Our recent research reported a 42% increase in rough sleeping between 2010 and 2016 in predominantly rural areas and has highlighted the particular challenges associated with being homeless in rural areas.
In rural areas, shelter is limited and emergency hostels are rare, with individuals reporting sleeping in tents, barns, cars and outhouses. It can be harder to access support services provided by councils and charities; communities are more isolated and public transport is often infrequent and expensive. Outreach work is also more of a struggle for professionals working in remote locations, where resources are stretched and where there are often concerns about the safety of lone workers.
These challenges increase during bad weather. Severe travel disruption can cut off entire rural communities, preventing people from reaching more sheltered locations, and essential shops and services. Plummeting temperatures are more keenly felt in the absence of the residual heat of urban centres.
If central government is truly committed to reducing homelessness, as legislation passed in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 suggests, it must devise and implement a new national homelessness strategy that includes a thorough assessment of the scale and nature of rural homelessness.