“a rural housing task force is joining forces to shine a light on the crisis”
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The issue of homelessness in rural areas is not normally on the political radar:
Homelessness is often assumed to be an urban phenomenon because homeless people are more numerous, more geographically concentrated, and more visible in urban areas
Rural Homelessness | nationalhomeless.org
And it’s not getting any better:
UK Rural Homeless Rise 20% A Year – Living Off the Grid: Free Yourself
Further research has just been commissioned:
RURAL HOMELESSNESS is an unseen crisis in the countryside, driven by limited access to services and an absence of affordable homes.
The extent of the crisis is unclear as limited rural data is captured in official statistics. Trends show that overall homelessness has increased in the last decade and where interventions have helped in urban areas, their impact is less successful in rural communities.
A rural housing task force, which includes the Rural Services Network, has joined forces to shine a light on the crisis by commissioning a 12-month research collaboration between academics at Kent and Southampton Universities. The rural task force includes leading national, rural charities and housing providers. Working collaboratively, the group have pooled resources to develop and fund the research, designed to secure evidence showing the extent of the rural housing crisis and what interventions will help tackle the problem. Working with the researchers, the group will develop and share a series of recommendations to inform government ministers and future policy making.
Existing research has largely focused on urban homelessness due to its inherent visibility, yet it has neglected a growing crisis facing rural areas. This lack of exposure has meant it hasn’t received the attention and investment it deserves from policymakers.
Rural homelessness focus of new study – Rural Services Network
Rural Homelessness Study | University of Southampton – YouTube
They’ve been joined by the likes of the CPRE:
At CPRE, we’ve been talking about the issue of rising rural homelessness for a long time, flagging it as an inevitable impact of housing shortages. The extent of the crisis is unclear as limited rural data is captured in official statistics. Figures show that homelessness has increased overall in the last decade – and where interventions have helped in urban areas, their impact is less successful in rural communities.
CPRE is part of a rural housing task force joining forces to shine a light on the crisis by commissioning a 12-month research collaboration
An unseen crisis: rural homelessness and what CPRE is doing about it – CPRE