Salford is facing a ‘homelessness tidal wave’ caused by the cost of living crisis, warns the city’s head of supported housing Rachel Connelly.
The number of people living in temporary accommodation in the city has soared by 238% in the last four years.
The latest report on temporary accommodation and rough sleeping said that between August 2018 and August 2022 the total number of families and single people in temporary accommodation rose from 125 to 423. The total number of children temporary homes between April 2019 and April 2022 rose from 179 to 443.
Ms Connelly said: “We know the homelessness tidal wave is coming.
“The funding position is going to get worse and that people are not going to be able to afford their rent.”
Speaking about frontline workers, she added it was “difficult to keep people’s spirits up, they are pretty exhausted.”
Ms Connelly said that suicides and drug overdoses had had “quite an impact on staff members.”
These thoughts have been echoed at HQN’s recent Housing Management Network Best Practice Groups. You can join the next meeting here.
You can read the full story in the Manchester Evening News here.
Author: Bobbie Hough