Older renters fear homelessness due to rising costs claims charity

A charity has claimed one in five older people want to retire but are unable to due to housing costs.

Homeless charity Crisis has revealed the number of older people in England facing homelessness has risen by 50% over the last five years.

Crisis has urged the Labour government to deliver a strategy to end all forms of homelessness.

Rising rents driving up housing insecurity for people approaching retirement

The survey, which only included 1,600 people aged over 55 from across Britain, claimed rising rents are driving up housing insecurity for people approaching retirement. Crisis claims retirees are being forced to return to work just to keep a safe roof over their heads.

According to the survey, nearly one in ten older income renters believe they will be at risk of homelessness by the end of this year, while one in five (17%) said they feared homelessness in their retirement.

Only a fifth (21%) felt that housing benefit adequately covered their housing costs, as it fails to keep pace with the cost of renting.

Stuck in temporary accommodation

The survey also reveals nearly one in five (17%) surveyed said they were unable to stop working because of their housing costs, with one interviewee saying they “did not ever see themselves retiring”.

For people already retired, nearly one in 10 (8%) said they were planning to look for work again so they could cover the cost of their housing.

In England, the number of older people facing homelessness has risen by over 50% in the past five years, while those aged 55 and above stuck in temporary accommodation has increased by a third (35%).

Britain’s housing crisis is an intergenerational one

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, warns the situation will only get worse.

He said: “Britain’s housing crisis is an intergenerational one, with a growing number of older people facing homelessness. Many people who have spent their lives working are left hanging by a thread because of a lack of social homes, leaving charities to fill the gap.

“No one should be forced to endure the hardship and trauma of homelessness, and in later life the consequences can be even more devastating. We’ve heard harrowing accounts, including someone who had to crawl over to a lamppost to be able to pull themselves up after sleeping rough in the cold and someone who was placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation far away from their wife’s care home making visiting her near impossible.

“These stories show the shameful reality of a housing and homelessness crisis that has been decades in the making, and we need change.”

End homelessness for good

Crisis has welcomed the Spending Review but says more needs to be done to build more social homes.

Mr Downie adds: “The recent spending review committed crucial funding for social and affordable housing over the next decade. With the right actions, the UK Government now has a rare chance to end homelessness for good.

“This requires delivering more social homes as quickly as possible, and reversing the real-terms cut to housing benefit which is making it nearly impossible for people on low incomes across Great Britain to pay their rent. Finally, to prevent homelessness occurring, Westminster must strengthen support systems to identify people at risk and give services time to step in before it happens.

“Homelessness doesn’t have to exist and with the right ambition and political will, we can end it for good.”