Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that homeless deaths in England and Wales have been steadily rising since their records began in 2013. They estimate that they’ve gone up from 482 In 2013 to 741 in 2021. But research from the Museum of Homelessness unveils a more shocking reality; a massive 80% increase in just two years, from 710 in 2019 to 1,286 in 2021. They include data from Scotland and the North of Ireland and the deaths of rough sleepers as well the ‘hidden’ homeless: those in unsafe temporary or support accommodation. These lives are the cost of huge cuts in funding for housing support and medical services.
Rising homelessness
Increasing homeless deaths accompany a rise in homelessness overall. In England the number of homeless households increased 169% between 2010 and 2017, from 26,280 to 61,830 (ONS). The deepening capitalist crisis is reflected in a sharp increase in homelessness in England in the past year; in the first three months of 2022 alone, 74,320 households approached local councils due to facing homelessness. 10,560 of them had members in full-time work.
In 2007 there were 498 rough sleepers across England; by 2015 this had risen to 3,569. In 2021, following the ‘everyone-in’ scheme during the Covid-19 lockdowns, this fell to 2,440. This shows that when it suits the British state, street homelessness can be tackled. But homeless deaths still rose in that year.
The destruction of housing support
This rise in the number of dangerous, privately owned temporary and support accommodation (see FRFI 286) corresponds to a fall in social housing and funding. Housing and homeless support services have been cut by over 40% since the financial crisis, starting under Brown’s Labour government and accelerating under subsequent Conservative governments.
This has been a consequence of the mass sell-off of social housing by local authorities (LAs). Last year alone, local councils in England sold off more than 7,000 social housing units while completing fewer than 100 new homes. 89% of all LAs built no new council homes at all in 2022. Social housing overall has fallen by about one million units since the 1980s, while rents have shot up. With most new ‘social housing’ now falling within the ‘affordable’ category of up to 80% of full market rent, even so-called low-cost housing is out of reach for the poorest.
As rents have risen, housing welfare has fallen by two thirds (£1bn) nationally. This includes money to LAs forhousing benefits and housing stock, and to maintain support programmes for care leavers, victims of domestic abuse, addicts and those with severe mental health issues.
Let’s talk about drugs
Drug poisoning is the biggest killer of homeless people. According to the ONS it accounted for 35% of all homeless deaths in 2021. A further 9.6% of deaths were alcohol-related. These substances are all dissociative and their abuse is more common among people avoiding the horrors of their situation. As poverty grips millions in Britain it’s no wonder that class A drug use among those aged 16-25 has increased 81% since 2012 and drug-related deaths by 87%.
Councils have seen an average reduction in their addiction support budgets of 29%. Mental health trusts have seen budget cuts of nearly 10%. The number of mental health hospital beds has fallen by 25% and 6,800 mental health nurse posts have been eliminated. With this lack of support, the conditions that make people susceptible to addiction are on the rise. Inevitably, the second biggest killer of homeless people is suicide, at 13.4% of deaths.
Capitalism is inequality
Yet, in 2022, Britain also had a record 177 billionaires. Collectively the richest in Britain are £52.6bn better off than 2021. The Reuben Brothers property magnates are number two on the list, with a fortune of £21.5bn; in 2019 they notoriously bunged Boris Johnson £50,000 to help fund his Tory leadership bid after he had, as London mayor, allowed them to provide zero affordable housing in their redevelopment of Millbank Tower. The estate agent Savills more than doubled its profits in 2021, netting a cool £183.1m.
The profits of these parasites flow from the immiseration of the working class. Homeless deaths lie at the feet of capitalism itself, not just ‘Tory austerity’. The last Labour government furthered privatisation of NHS services and accelerated the sell-off of social housing. Neither party has any interest in resolving the desperate needs of the working class.
Joe Smith
