HSBC are offering bank accounts to people who are homeless. Banks typically require photo ID, as well as proof of address, to open an account but with the new HSBC service, the charity’s address can be used instead. Following a successful pilot in Liverpool, the service is now live in 31 branches in major UK cities including London, Birmingham and Manchester. More locations will be added in the new year. More than 80 accounts were opened during the pilot, one of whom belonged to a Liverpool man who had been homeless for 12 years. Opening a bank account meant he could claim benefits for the first time in over a decade and has now been put on the housing list.
National Homelessness News
Depaul UK has more than 30 Nightstop projects across the UK, from Glasgow to Guernsey, funded in part by the People’s Postcode Lottery. It offers same-night emergency accommodation for 16- to 25-year-olds. In a survey last year, Depaul found that 55 per cent of young people who become homeless first leave stable accommodation due to a relationship breakdown. Almost 60 per cent became homeless when they were children.
The Guardian and other media outlets report that an estimated 280,000 homeless people will be rough sleeping, or living in temporary housing and hostels in England on Christmas Day – about one in every 200 of the total population, according to the charity Shelter. The housing charity’s figure, which is likely to understate the true level of homelessness because it does not count people who are sofa-surfing or living in sheds or tents, is 3,600 higher than in 2018, and up 23,000 since 2017.
More than 8,000 university students in the UK are estranged from their families, with no relationship with their parents, new figures show. They often experience severe financial difficulties, loneliness and even homelessness during the holidays. Research by the Stand Alone charity, which supports estranged adults, suggests such students are three times as likely to drop out. It says around 30% have faced homelessness.
Around 135,000 children in Britain are homeless, living in temporary accommodation, according to a report launched by Shelter – which is the highest number in 12 years. For the first time, the charity has exposed the frequency with which children are becoming homeless, as its Generation Homeless report reveals a child loses their home every eight minutes. This is the equivalent of 183 children per day, enough to fill 2.5 double decker buses.
Midwives in the UK have said they see a pregnant woman at risk of homelessness every working day. A ground-breaking survey of midwives who collectively care for over 15,000 women per month found almost all of them had seen a pregnant woman who was homeless in the past six months. Frontline maternity staff said cuts to benefits, changes in the welfare system, and widespread issues with suitable housing in many areas of the UK are disproportionately affecting pregnant women. The shocking findings have been brought to light in a new Channel 4 Dispatches programme conducted alongside the Royal College of Midwives.
Centrepoint has been giving homeless young people a better future for 50 years. In 2019 alone, more than 100,000 young people found themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness. Family breakdown is the leading cause of youth homelessness and young people today are spending more of their income on rent and experiencing higher levels of debt than ever before. For five decades Centrepoint has worked tirelessly to give homeless young people a future by providing them a home, helping them into work, and supporting them with their mental and physical health.
Councils in England have spent more than a billion pounds on temporary accommodation for homeless people in the past year – up 78 per cent in the last five years, new figures show. Campaigners warned the housing crisis was forcing local authorities to spend vast sums of money on “unsuitable” emergency accommodation after government data revealed £1.1bn was spent on B&Bs, hostels and other temporary shelter in the 12 months to March 2019. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of this was spent on emergency B&Bs – up 111 per cent in five years – despite the fact that this form of accommodation is considered some of the worst for families with children to live in.
Aston Martin has partnered with Centrepoint to raise £1,000,000 to provide accommodation and help to homeless young people between the ages of 16 – 25. Music stars Rita Ora and Duran Duran attended an event along with The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, the charity’s official patron, alongside Aston Martin’s president and group chief executive officer. The Duke of Cambridge spoke with young people from Centrepoint who have completed work placements at Aston Martin, and those who are due to start apprenticeships in 2020.
Homeless charities have called for greater awareness of people sleeping in wheelie bins after two men were almost killed by treacherous floodwater in Nottinghamshire. The pair became trapped in an industrial container after the River Ryton burst its banks following heavy rain in Worksop the fire service said.