Brad Taylor, Rural Campaigns Officer at the countryside charity CPRE, comments on Home Secretary, Suella Braverman's description of homelessness as a 'lifestyle choice'.
Everyone has a right to live in a home they can afford, and no-one in England should find themselves without a roof over their heads, however under government policies we've seen a 24 per cent increase in rates of homelessness in rural areas in the year 2021-2022.
Instead of criticising those who find themselves in the position of having nowhere to live, we would encourage the Home Secretary to speak to those who have sought to understand the causal factors of rising rates of homelessness.
Research commissioned by English Rural, with input from CPRE and others, found that rural poverty exacerbated by high housing costs are the fundamental drivers of rural homelessness.
To make matters worse local authorities in rural areas receive 65% less funding per capita than urban areas for homelessness prevention and support services are dispersed and often unavailable.
We would like to see a renewed political commitment to ending all homelessness, including rural homelessness.
Instead of criticising those who find themselves in the position of having nowhere to live, we would encourage the Home Secretary to speak to those who have sought to understand the causal factors of rising rates of homelessness.
This will require an ambitious plan to alleviate rural poverty and provide a new generation of social rented homes.
Brad Taylor
Rural Campaigns Officer
CPRE's 2023 Rural Affordable Housing Report will be released later this month - visit www.cpre.org.uk.
CPRE's 2023 Rural Affordable Housing Report will be released later this month - visit www.cpre.org.uk.
