Cost of living crisis: stop homelessness now

Take action to help stop homelessness now

Call on your MP to write to the Housing and Welfare Secretaries of State today.

People are struggling to survive. Without government action, people will lose their homes. 

Almost 2.5 million renters are either behind or constantly struggling to pay their rent, an increase of 45% since April 2022. They need more help than any money-saving hack can offer. 

The cost of living crisis is pushing renters to breaking point, and the government is sitting back while rents spiral out of control.  Last year, nearly 200,000 renters were hit with an eye-watering rise of more than £300 a month.  

We need your help to make the government take urgent action and help people at risk of homelessness right now. Call on your MP to ask Mel Stride, the new Work and Pensions Secretary and Michael Gove, the new Housing Secretary to work together and take these emergency steps: 

• stop homelessness now - make housing benefit adequate to protect vulnerable renters 
• cap social rent increases at 3% 
• build more social homes to end the housing emergency in years to come 

People are struggling to survive a crisis we didn’t create. Please, join the campaign to protect people from homelessness during the cost of living crisis and email your MP today. 

• Find out more about the changes we want to see

  Stop homelessness now - make housing benefit adequate:

  1.8 million (1 in 3) private renters claim housing benefits. Currently, 54% of people have to ‘top up’ their housing benefit to make their rent. The average difference between their housing benefit and their rent is £151 a month. We want housing benefit increased so it covers at least the cheapest 30% of places to rent.

  Additionally, the benefit cap stops people being given more £20,000 a year or £23,000 in London, no matter their situation. This cap is affecting 65% more households than before the pandemic – and the number is once again rising as the cost of living crisis bites. It mainly hits families with children, particularly single parents, who struggle to work more hours and care for their children to escape the cap. We want to see this cap scrapped.

  Cap Social Housing Rent Increases:

  As Social Housing Rent is linked to inflation, people in social homes face another big rise of rents in April. The government have said they are looking to cap this rent increase at 3%, 5% or 7%. We believe this should be capped at 3% and any savings to the government should be used to make sure social housing providers continue to invest in maintaining and building homes.

  Build more social homes:

  The most affordable type of housing is social housing because rents are linked to local incomes. Yet, we’re losing over 15,000 social homes a year – and replacing them with unaffordable ‘affordable’ housing like shared ownership. The government should invest in a new generation of high quality, energy efficient social homes.