Tackling homelessness in the UK

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I was surprised to have experienced snow and freezing temperatures in the middle of March. I am someone who loves the snow, I love having snow-fights with my little siblings and building snowmen with them. However, you can’t help but think of those who are less fortunate in times like this and that is certainly the way I have felt in the last few weeks. Even if you’re only out in the snow for five minutes, you feel frozen and I hate to imagine what it is like to be a rough sleeper in freezing temperatures.

I have always wanted to pursue a career that is centred around helping others and this is one of the reasons that I want to go into politics after university. Homelessness is a topic that is currently being discussed regularly in the political world and people throughout society are becoming aware of the rise of homelessness. It is a topic I feel passionate about and it is something I would love to tackle should I enter the world of politics in the future.

Just last weekend, my girlfriend and I visited a Quaker building in Weston-super-Mare. Inside were a few volunteers who were providing tea, coffee, biscuits and warm bedding for the homeless in Weston-super-mare. I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of homeless men and it was devastating to hear their stories. Yet what upsets me the most about homelessness is the fact that some homeless people have frozen to death recently. This is an outrage and it is something that simply shouldn’t be happening in twenty-first century Britain. What also upsets me hugely is some people’s attitude towards homelessness. For example, Bournemouth council have installed anti-homeless benches. These benches have a metal bar in the middle of them which prevents an individual from lying on them to rest and sleep.

Homelessness is a topic that at the heart of politics at the moment and this is because of the rise of homelessness throughout the UK. The Independent estimated that there are around 4,100 homeless throughout the UK and this is a 134% increase from 2010. There are so many different reasons as to why homelessness has risen and arguably one of the main reasons is the rising population in Britain. The population in the UK has nearly doubled in the last century and this is down to many reasons, such as; mass immigration and improved healthcare which has led to an aging population. Although the number of houses being built has increased largely, it has still not been enough to keep up with the rate of increase in population.

In addition, the sharp increase in homelessness has also been down to welfare reforms made by government. For example, the increase in privately-rented accommodation has contributed to the rise of homelessness. The NAO found that private sector rents in England and Wales have gone up by three times as much as wages since 2010. The government have also frozen housing benefit and this has increased homelessness due to the rise of the cost of living. The fact that housing benefits have been frozen and many public sector job wages have decreased in real term has contributed to an increase in the use of food banks and homelessness.

The Conservatives however, are correct when they said that homelessness is a complex issue. The cuts that have taken place are in their eyes necessary and this is why. When the Conservative and Liberal Democrat government began in 2010, Britain was in a financial mess, due to its high levels of debt. The debt was so high because of the global financial crisis. The reason it affected the UK so much is because a bank rescue package was formed by the Labour government in 2008 which cost the UK £500 billion. Labour’s aim was to stabilise British banks, but it created an incredible mess, which we are still feeling the effects of today. The global financial crisis was the main reasons that Britain went into recession in 2008. Labour’s solution was to borrow money and never before, has this country borrowed more money. This money has high levels of interest and this is why Britain found itself in a financial mess. When the Conservative and Liberal Democrat government formed, they had to reduce the national debt. This is why the country went into austerity. In order to improve the economy and protect the future of the country, the government had to make cuts. This has had a real impact on everyone and has caused huge issues throughout the public sector and housing market.

The current government have over the last eight years cut the nation’s deficit as a share of GDP by almost 75%. This means that the government can now invest in many different areas to improve not only the economy, but the standard of living as a whole. The Conservatives have set out a target of ending homelessness by 2027. Without being too sceptical, I don’t see this as a realistic target, because I think it is impossible to end homelessness completely, because there are so many reasons as to why people become homeless, such as; unemployment, mental health issues, marital breakdowns, alcohol and drug abuse and poverty. However, I do believe that the number of homelessness can be reduced and I believe that there should be more support for those who are homeless. I believe that to tackle homelessness in the UK, you need to address the social issues that cause homelessness in the first place. The government is doing this.

Firstly, homelessness can be caused by unemployment. The government recognises this and funding for education has been increased in order to give individuals more opportunities to succeed and gain employment. Social mobility is on the up and this is reflected in the fact that more people are going to university than ever before. This is producing a generation of skilled individuals that possess a wide range of skills and talents to succeed in the workplace. Recently, it was discovered that levels of unemployment were at the lowest it has been post World War Two. Moreover, the number of schools that are performing to a high standard has increased massively as well, with many schools now receiving either a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating. What we are now seeing is people who are qualified and this reduces your chances of being homeless.

Mental health however, is arguably the biggest cause of homelessness. Having a mental health disorder can sometimes lead to becoming unemployed which often leads to the individual becoming homeless. As a country, we have made huge strides to improve our understanding of mental health over the past century. We have taken massive steps in the right direction. However, there is still a way to go. This is why there has been a big increase into funding for mental health research and treatment. A considerable number of homeless people are ex-military and most of these individuals suffer from mental health issues because of their experiences in the military. This is a big issue and it is finally getting the recognition it needs. Another reason that ex-military personnel sometimes become homeless is because of the lack of unemployment opportunities outside of the military. This has been recognised - just last week, the government announced a £40,000 bursary for ex-army personnel to retrain as school teachers. This not only combats mental health issues, but it also combats financial issues that a lot of ex-military personnel find themselves in.

However, there is still a long way to go. One thing that the government has failed to address, is the fact that a large number of homelessness is caused by marital breakdown. Divorces between couples that have children often ends in one parent losing the house and they fall through the financial safety net because they have nowhere to live and therefore they end up getting sacked. This is a huge issue in the topic of homelessness and I think more should be done in the legal system to ensure that both individuals have a form of support provided. I would propose that there should be an emergency fund available for those who face the threat of becoming homeless. This fund would be a loan from the government that is interest free and would only be paid back when the individual was in the financial position to be able to do so. The logic behind this is that it would enable the individual to get back on their feet and it would provide them with support to secure their future.

Whilst I agree with the current housing programme that has been implemented by government, I still think that more needs to be done. Whilst I am not a massive fan of council housing, that doesn’t meant that there shouldn’t be any. There should be a low level of council housing in each populated area. To tackle homelessness, I would suggest that council housing could be provided free of charge to the homeless, but in return, they would be required to do some community work. This in my eyes would help the individual feel integrated into society because a lot of the homeless feel excluded and marginalised from society.

I would also propose that more needs to be done in order to tackle drug and alcohol abuse. Therefore, I would propose that the punishment for drug dealing should be increased in order to deter criminals from dealing which would reduce the amount of drugs on the street. Tackling alcohol abuse is a very complex issue, but one thing that could be done is educating everyone at an early age the effects of alcohol to try and deter them from drinking excessively in the first place.

The government also needs to address the rising population in this country. This is a big reason why the country voted the way that it did in the EU referendum. Given the economic and geographic status of the UK, free movement of people into the country is simply not a logical one. This is one of the reasons why Britain must leave the single market when it leaves the EU. Immigration needs to be controlled to ensure immigration is sustainable and not detrimental to our economy and society.

As I have highlighted, homelessness is such a diverse and complex issue. Whilst the chances are homelessness can never be eradicated, it can be reduced, but in order to achieve that, massive change must happen.