The cost of living crisis is driving up homelessness while lowering charity donations from corporations and individuals
Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows the number of households facing homelessness has peaked with more than 320,000 households at risk, with london being the worst hit.
Homelessness charities warn of falling donations amid cost of living crisis.
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Government data shows that in the first quarter of 2024, over 2,000 Londoners were forced to sleep rough for the first time, an almost 40% increase for the same period last year.
Yet for many, this issue is one that is remembered most around the festive season. As Christmas approaches, many of the leading charities tackling homelessness will launch their Christmas donation campaigns, and for good reason.
Anthony Miller MBE, Director of the Whitechapel Mission, says they get 90% of their donations at Christmas time and plan their annual budget around this.
Anthony Miller says Whitechapel serves 450 people a day, a number that has increased 1000% since he joined 40 years ago
“There is a perception that homelessness appears at Christmas then disappears again, We see the vulnerability at a higher level when it’s cold, wet and dark and therefore feel more guilty and wish to assist…and Christmas happens to come in the wet winter.”
Anthony also added:
“For a lot of people Christmas is the excuse, they know they are going to be spending their time in the warm with family and loved ones and exchanging gifts…and there are people outside looking through the glass cold, shivering and wet, so they wish to help them.”
The sentiments around the festive season have also allowed Whitechapel mission to help those experiencing homelessness reconnect with their family and friends. Miller says for many rough sleepers, it is the belief that they have no support network around them at all that makes them resort to rough sleeping.
Homelessness and donations have been impacted by the cost of living crisis
Whitechapel mission serve 450 people a day a figure that has been on the rise due to the cost of living crisis. Isaac Obeng-Ansong, General Manager at Brixton Soup Kitchen, notices a similar pattern. The charity serves 300-400 people a week, a number Isaac says remains stable across the seasons but has increased in recent years due to the cost of living crisis.
While the cost of living is driving up homelessness, it is also impacting the public and corporations’ ability to give. Data front he UK’s largest fund matching organisation Big Give shows that in 2023, 25% of the public gave less money to charity in Christmas due to the cost-of-living crisis with another 20% that year saying they weren’t planning to donate anything at all.
Anthony told us Whitechapel’s Income fell by a quarter of a million in the last festive season. For Brixton Soup Kitchen, they have struggled to recover after COVID.
Isaac said “Prior to COVID, we did receive a big amount of donations at Christmas time…but pretty much since then not much has really been coming in.”. This drop has also been seen in their corporate donors, “corporations like for example Heinz, they would be donating to us 4 or 3 times a year, that’s dropped to once a year.”
Brixton Soup Kitchen’s donations from partnerships with Greggs and Nando’s have seen a similar drop which Isaac says are due to donations being shared across more charity providers due to the growing scale of the homelessness problem.
Leading homelessness charity Crisis reported a 12% rise in people accessing its services across the country and is calling on the government to increasing funding for social housing:
“Our experiences over the past year have shown that more and more people are struggling to find a safe and stable place to live – whether forced into cramped temporary accommodation due to exorbitant rents or faced with no other option but to sleep on the streets. We’re expecting high demand for our services this Christmas.”
Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis
In November, the UK government announced an emergency 10million fund to protect rough sleepers this winter as well as £500million in funding to build up to 5,000 new social homes.
But with almost 160,000 households experiencing the worst forms of homelessness in the UK, charity campaign groups will be calling on the government to take more action.
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HeadlineThe cost of living crisis is driving up homelessness while lowering charity donations from corporations and individuals
Short HeadlineHomelessness is not just a Christmas problem
StandfirstData from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows the number of households facing homelessness has peaked with more than 320,000 households at risk, with london being the worst hit.
Government data shows that in the first quarter of 2024, over 2,000 Londoners were forced to sleep rough for the first time, an almost 40% increase for the same period last year.
Yet for many, this issue is one that is remembered most around the festive season. As Christmas approaches, many of the leading charities tackling homelessness will launch their Christmas donation campaigns, and for good reason.
Anthony Miller MBE, Director of the Whitechapel Mission, says they get 90% of their donations at Christmas time and plan their annual budget around this.
Anthony Miller says Whitechapel serves 450 people a day, a number that has increased 1000% since he joined 40 years ago
“There is a perception that homelessness appears at Christmas then disappears again, We see the vulnerability at a higher level when it’s cold, wet and dark and therefore feel more guilty and wish to assist…and Christmas happens to come in the wet winter.”
Anthony also added:
“For a lot of people Christmas is the excuse, they know they are going to be spending their time in the warm with family and loved ones and exchanging gifts…and there are people outside looking through the glass cold, shivering and wet, so they wish to help them.”
The sentiments around the festive season have also allowed Whitechapel mission to help those experiencing homelessness reconnect with their family and friends. Miller says for many rough sleepers, it is the belief that they have no support network around them at all that makes them resort to rough sleeping.
Homelessness and donations have been impacted by the cost of living crisis
Whitechapel mission serve 450 people a day a figure that has been on the rise due to the cost of living crisis. Isaac Obeng-Ansong, General Manager at Brixton Soup Kitchen, notices a similar pattern. The charity serves 300-400 people a week, a number Isaac says remains stable across the seasons but has increased in recent years due to the cost of living crisis.
While the cost of living is driving up homelessness, it is also impacting the public and corporations’ ability to give. Data front he UK’s largest fund matching organisation Big Give shows that in 2023, 25% of the public gave less money to charity in Christmas due to the cost-of-living crisis with another 20% that year saying they weren’t planning to donate anything at all.
Anthony told us Whitechapel’s Income fell by a quarter of a million in the last festive season. For Brixton Soup Kitchen, they have struggled to recover after COVID.
Isaac said “Prior to COVID, we did receive a big amount of donations at Christmas time…but pretty much since then not much has really been coming in.”. This drop has also been seen in their corporate donors, “corporations like for example Heinz, they would be donating to us 4 or 3 times a year, that’s dropped to once a year.”
Brixton Soup Kitchen’s donations from partnerships with Greggs and Nando’s have seen a similar drop which Isaac says are due to donations being shared across more charity providers due to the growing scale of the homelessness problem.
Leading homelessness charity Crisis reported a 12% rise in people accessing its services across the country and is calling on the government to increasing funding for social housing:
“Our experiences over the past year have shown that more and more people are struggling to find a safe and stable place to live – whether forced into cramped temporary accommodation due to exorbitant rents or faced with no other option but to sleep on the streets. We’re expecting high demand for our services this Christmas.”
Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis
In November, the UK government announced an emergency 10million fund to protect rough sleepers this winter as well as £500million in funding to build up to 5,000 new social homes.
But with almost 160,000 households experiencing the worst forms of homelessness in the UK, charity campaign groups will be calling on the government to take more action.
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