Shelter is shrieking too much about homelessness

As we’ve been known to point out before Britain certainly has problems but some are rather over-egged, shrieked about too much. At which point Shelter’s latest hysteria:

Soaring private rents, rising evictions and a chronic lack of affordable social housing have led to homelessness in England increasing by 14%, research from Shelter reveals.

The charity described its latest figures as “shocking” and “astounding”. They are contained in a report that estimates that on any given night more than 354,000 people in England are homeless, which is one in 160 people. That includes 161,500 children.

Shelter said the figure had risen by 44,500 people (14%), from one in 182 people, in just one year.

We are unconvinced. There is a number for people who are homeless, those sleeping rough:

About 3,900 people are sleeping rough on any given night, a 10% increase.

Near all of whom are suffering from significant mental health or addiction problems, usually multiply. This is not, in fact, a housing issue, it’s one about Care in the Community more than anything else.

But back to housing itself. As we’ve remarked before what Shelter is counting is the number who would be homeless - really, actually - it it were not for the welfare state we’ve already set up to make sure that people are not - really, actually - homeless.

Now please note here, this is not our example, this is the one Shelter uses in its own press release from which, obviously, The Guardian article is written:

Shelter said people were often experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives.

It gave the example of Sally, 43, who is living in temporary accommodation in Dorset with her 14-year-old-daughter. Sally was evicted and spent eight hours on the street before getting a hotel room.

They are now in an unsuitable one-bedroom flat that is noisy and scary, she said.

8 hours, eh? Unsuitable you say? We say that’s pretty damn good for government action. In fact, we’d say that’s really very good indeed. And yet this is the exemplar of the horrors that the charity wants to use?

Of course, we’d all agree that British housing needs sorting out. More of it and cheaper - with the obviously joyous point that more will mean cheaper - is something we ourselves demand. But that problem of families being turned into homeless waifs to sleep on the streets does, rather, seem to have been solved already. 8 hours you say? One bedroom flat? Gosh.#

Tim Worstall