Homeless people are being left without the accommodation and support they need due to a system at breaking point, frontline staff in the homelessness sector have warned.

The overwhelming majority (85%) of frontline staff working in the homelessness sector reported an increase in demand for their services in the last 12 months and 80% think the situation will only get worse in the next few years, according to a new report from St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity.

It’s a demand staff warn cannot be met – 83% said it was difficult to access suitable accommodation and 55% of respondents said this had got worse in the last 12 months. Rigid housing and eligibility rules are denying people access to the social and supported housing people they need and the private rented sector is increasingly out of reach for people on low incomes or reliant on support from benefits.

According to the charity’s 8th annual UK-wide survey of frontline workers, 90% said it was difficult to find landlords willing to let to people on housing benefit and 84% said it was challenging to find accommodation at a rate that works for those supported by benefits.

The lack of suitable accommodation and increased pressure on other services is creating a “perfect storm”, with too many people with more complex needs falling through the gaps and being left without support or stuck in unsuitable housing and unable to move forward.

Those working on the frontline consistently reported that disconnected or insufficient services and lack of joint responsibility across housing, health and support are significantly harming outcomes.

Long waiting lists were identified as a barrier by 88% of staff and nearly seven in 10 staff (69%) said it was difficult to get support for people with both a mental health need and a substance misuse support need.

The majority (56%) of frontline staff also report digital exclusion to be an issue preventing many at risk of homelessness from accessing the support they need with statutory services increasingly requiring people to fill in online forms, rather than being able to turn up and ask for help.

A charity worker in Manchester, responding to the survey, said: “The cost-of-living crisis, escalating rents and lack of social housing are reaching a fever pitch, we have never seen anything like this. It’s especially bad for multiple marginalised folks and those with decreased access to funds, who are often facing discrimination from landlords, extreme poverty, abuse and violence and a huge array of other challenges on top of housing.”

It is clear from the report that the unprecedented levels of demand and gaps in provision are also putting huge pressure on those working in homelessness, who often face impossible choices, feel unable to do their job as they want to, and constantly have to adapt and fill in the gaps for other services and staff who are no longer there.

Most homelessness support staff remain hugely motivated, with 91% feeling like they’re making a difference, but the increasing challenges they face and the pressures on their own wellbeing mean it’s often not enough, with well over half (57%) saying they feel at risk of burnout.

Low pay adds to these challenges with just a third (34%) of frontline workers agreeing their pay covered their living costs with a similar number having to take on extra work just to pay the bills.

With only 27% feeling hopeful about the future of their job, the risk is many will leave the profession, taking their knowledge, commitment and expertise with them.

Sara Emerson, a service manager at Justlife, a homelessness charity in Brighton & Hove, said: “Lots of people who end up in homelessness services need somewhere to live but they also present with multiple support needs at once and had they got other support sooner, may not have ended up at risk of homelessness.

“It means that homelessness workers end up having to be extremely skilled in lots of different areas to match the needs that people present with. It creates so much pressure – people end up either burning out or frustrated because there’s no real progression despite these incredible skills you develop working with very complex people.”

The charity says the widespread risk of frontline staff burnout needs to act as a wake-up call to government and local authorities. With rising homelessness and record highs for numbers in temporary accommodation, recent uplifts to funding are not enough.

It’s calling on governments in each of the nations of the UK to invest in new accommodation, homelessness services and frontline staff. In particular in England where the promised new homelessness strategy must:

• Prioritise making more affordable, specialist and supported housing available
• Address the serious challenges in the private rented sector by increasing local housing allowance in the upcoming budget, eliminating the need for guarantors and addressing discrimination against those on benefits
• Invest more in services and support, particularly for those with the highest needs
• Invest in the role, pay, training, funding and wellbeing support of frontline workers.

Duncan Shrubsole, Chief Executive Officer, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity, said: “Homelessness is rising and yet it is ever harder to find the accommodation and support services people need to move out of or away from homelessness.

“Staff on the frontline are basically working miracles – going above and beyond to make a difference every day in near impossible circumstances. It’s not enough to rely on their good will and dedication. It’s not sustainable and it shouldn’t have to be.

“We need to address the significant barriers to finding appropriate and affordable housing and we need to see significant and sustained investment nationally and locally in vital homelessness support services – including manageable caseloads, better pay and progression opportunities for frontline staff, time for reflection and professional development for the benefit of service delivery and, ultimately, people’s lives.

“Across the UK governments and funders need to prioritise and support the homelessness workforce. In England, the government has promised a new homelessness strategy – they now need to deliver and fast, with action to ensure accommodation is available and affordable and that vital frontline workers are valued, supported, fairly treated and paid.

“This report shows how committed they are, but without change we fear too many homelessness workers will be burnt out or leave and too many people will then be left without the help they need.”