Homelessness peaks in rural England as living costs stress poor

The number of homeless people in rural England has increased by 40% in the past five years, with many of them sleeping outside in tents or improvised shelters as per a British rural charity.

Fuelled by high inflation, a cost-of-living crisis in the sixth-biggest economy in the world and a G7 country has left many Britons struggling to make ends meet as food, electricity, rent, and mortgage payments rise, reported AFP.

Even though inflation is declining from a 41-year high of 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.9% in November, charities contend that several issues, including the lack of affordable housing and cuts to welfare over the past ten years, have made food poverty and homelessness worse.

With salaries stagnating and housing costs rising in many locations, the CPRE charity, which advocates for affordable housing in rural England, said that homelessness in the countryside had climbed from 17,212 in 2018 to 24,143 in 2023.

"The sharp rise in rural homelessness shows the real-life impact of record house prices, huge waiting lists for social-rent housing and the boom in second homes and short-term lets," it said.

The organisation reported that the number of rough sleepers in 12 primarily rural local authorities in England was greater than the 15 persons per 100,000 population national average.