Welfare Reform forecasts a gloomy winter for those without shelter
Changes to welfare could put winter night shelters under threat, new research finds.
- Services fear demand for emergency accommodation could rise this winter
- More shelters report being unable to provide the service they want with available funding
- Services reliant on housing benefit face an uncertain future
Research by umbrella body Homeless Link has found that last winter emergency homeless shelters played a vital role in preventing the deaths of many rough sleepers.
A survey of 126 services revealed that 4,863 people sought shelter from the cold during the last winter, a quarter of whom had not approached services for help before. Additionally, 10% of individuals were destitute people from abroad who, because of their immigration status, had no entitlement to welfare benefits.
With the number of people rough sleeping having gone up by 31% in the past two years, the research indicates that more areas provided winter-long shelter last year and stayed open for longer, on average six months, because of the prolonged cold snap.
However, changes to welfare could leave many services facing a challenging winter this year. The survey showed that a third of shelters were funded to some extent by housing benefit, but there remains a great deal of uncertainty over whether these payments will continue once Universal Credit is launched.
The number of services reporting being able to meet demand with their available funding dropped by 24 percentage points when compared to the previous year. Many services expressed fears that welfare reform could exacerbate the situation as the rollout of universal credit, the bedroom tax and benefit cap may increase demand for help.
With uncertainty about how some shelters will be funded this year, Homeless Link is calling on councils and services to begin planning emergency winter provision now. The umbrella body is also calling on government to clarify whether winter shelters will be able to continue to be funded once universal credit is introduced.
Commenting on these findings, Homeless Link’s Chief Executive, Rick Henderson, said:
“It’s a simple fact – cold weather shelters save lives. With a continued trend towards more severe winters anything that threatens the work of shelters should concern us all.
“National and local government must ensure that the resources are in place to fund their essential work and that welfare reform does not put added pressure on already stretched services.
“We appeal to areas to start planning now for how they will ideally provide winter long shelter and use the opportunity to ensure that individuals do not end up back on the streets.”
Alison Gelder, Chief Executive of Christian action group Housing Justice, said:
“It is vital that Local Authorities fulfil their duty to provide shelter for everyone in their area during the cold weather. We encourage them to work with churches and faith groups who currently provide a large proportion of the winter support upon which many people rely.
“The threats posed by funding cuts and changes to benefits are very serious and agencies must work together more effectively to prepare for the winter and ensure that nobody is left to face the cold on the streets.”
Homeless Link has produced a new guide for local communities on setting up a winter shelter and is planning a series of events on providing the best services possible, including a free webinar on September 10th at 10.30am.
If you’re concerned about some sleeping rough, please contact StreetLink on 0300 500 0914 to help connect them to local services. www.streetlink.org.uk