One in every 88 people in Birmingham are homeless

Birmingham leads cities in the West Midlands with the highest numbers of homelessness.

A report released by Shelter today has shown that one in every 88 people in Birmingham do not have a place to live.

According to the housing charity’s report ‘Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017’, there are 12,785 people in temporary accommodation, for example, bed and breakfast rooms or hostels. And 55 of them are sleeping rough.

The information obtained through government data and Freedom of Information returns showed that Birmingham gathers two-thirds of all the homeless of the region. 

The figure means 61.2% of the 20,897 citizens without a place to live in the West Midland. The number has increased by 22% in a year. 

Vicky Hines, Shelter’s Birmingham Hub manager, said:

“And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for.”

Birmingham is followed by Coventry (1 in 229), Solihull (1 in 314), and Walsall (1 in 424).

“We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own. But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public’s support to be there for everyone who needs us right now” she added.

Housing prioritised

Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that 1.376 people applied for housing between April 2017 and June 2017 in Birmingham.

63.7% of them (877 people) were prioritised by Birmingham City Council and provided with accommodation. In 85% of the cases, they were homeless with a pregnant woman or dependable children.

“On a daily basis, we speak to people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness. A trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of welfare cuts” said Hines.

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For more details and the full dataset click here.