The UK housing industry has struggled considerably in recent times and there has been further indication of this with the revelation that almost £2billion has been spent in the past four years on arranging temporary accommodation for homeless people. As the wider difficulties experienced by the country’s housing market have spread far and wide this has led to £1.88billion of expenditure going towards renting accommodation for families without a home. According to an article in The Guardian, a number of factors have been cited as contributing to this, including the rising house prices, a cut on benefits and the increase in private rents.
The homeless families concerned have been housed in hostels, bed and breakfast surroundings and shelters in cities around the UK. It has been suggested that many more families could lose their homes as a result of the benefit cuts that are reportedly set to see around 7000 families in London receive over £100 less each week. The UK’s housing industry has seen the number of new houses starting to be built decrease by 8 per cent in the past three months, according to The Department for Communities and Local Government.
The short-term measures that have been taken to alleviate the pressure caused from so many being left without a home have been at great cost and housing minister Mark Prisk has expressed his concern at families being rehoused in unfamiliar areas. He said: “There is absolutely no excuse for families to be sent miles away without proper regard for their circumstances, or to be placed in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation for long periods of time.’’