Back in the height of lockdown, the District Councils’ Network’s research that found almost 500,000 people would face homelessness off the back of the Covid-19 pandemic focused minds at The Big Issue.
The shocking figure graced our ‘Stay Alert’ satirical magazine cover back in May and was one of the major driving forces behind the formation of our Ride Out Recession Alliance. Big Issue founder Lord John Bird insisted that people on the margins must be protected from “falling into the treacle of homelessness”.
Today the DCN is repeating that stark warning, stating that 486,242 people could be at risk of spiralling into homelessness once the eviction ban in England lifts on August 23.
We need government to take steps to mitigate what could be a dramatic rise in homelessness
That headline number includes 108,000 lone parents at the greatest risk of losing their homes and a further 100,000 people aged between 16-24 years old who have seen their incomes slashed and jobs hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DCN, who represent 187 district councils in England, came to the figure after analysing the number of households that are paying over half their income on private rented housing and are vulnerable to rising unemployment and reduced salaries. With the group, who are set to release their new report ‘District councils and the Private Rented Sector’, anticipating a rise in evictions once the ban ends in a matter of days, they warn that the risk of homelessness is great.
Councillors are calling for the government to continue to protect tenants from eviction even if the ban is lifted by lifting the benefit and boosting housing benefit so that it covers the lowest third of market rent.