Costs crisis puts Oldham families at risk of homelessness

Howarth Housing Group is a not-for-profit parent company that specialises in supporting homeless people by providing emergency and supported accommodation in conjunction with the council and LIFELINE CIC.

The company also works to challenge myths surrounding homelessness, arguing the vast majority (60 per cent) don't actually 'sleep rough' on the streets but are instead adequately housed.

However, despite the best efforts of housing providers and local authorities behind the scenes, the cost-of-living crisis coupled with the ongoing housing crisis and the Covid backlog is exacerbating demand.

Benjamin Howarth, founder and managing director of Howarth Housing Group and LIFELINE CIC, said that the cost-of-living crisis is adding another layer of pressure to service providers and families who are already in the margins of poverty.

Benjamin Howarth said the situation is going to get worse in winter.

Already, he said people are presenting with thousands of pounds worth of debts - sometimes in the £10,000 to £15,000 bracket due to a combination of rent, utility and council tax arrears.

“It used to be around £3,000 or £4,000, but now we’re seeing those big figures", he added.

But the group is now bracing itself for a double-whammy of cases this winter when they expect to see the usual winter 'surge' as well as families and single people who have fallen into difficulty as a consequence of rising energy bills.

Mr Howarth said the team is expecting to see the rise towards the end of December and in January, when debts have already mounted and where "people have been burying their heads in the sand because they feel there's no solution".

While the former police officer said the period will be challenging, he pressed that there are plenty of solutions and early preventative methods in place - and stressed the council is staying on top of the crisis ahead of the winter surge.

An example of a flat Howarth Housing Group is able to provide.

But providing housing is just one small piece of the large puzzle as the group relies on support workers and mental health workers to prevent reoccurring homelessness from taking place.

Mr Howarth said: “A lot of people assume that if you give someone somewhere to live, they’ll be fine, but actually that’s not the case – if it had been the case, then the person wouldn’t have ended up homeless in the first place.

“It’s very rare for people who say have a good job and a strong family background to become homeless.

“And it’s not about drug and alcohol problems – that is actually relatively minor with less than about 30 per cent identifying with a drug or alcohol issue – but the vast majority of people are suffering with mental health issues that are just rendering them incapable of looking after themselves for the time being.”

The group is seeing more cases of people with anxiety and depression who have spiralled into debt, exacerbating their mental health and ultimately becoming ensnared in a "vicious cycle" where they end up homeless.

Benjamin Howarth with the Howarth Housing Group and LIFELINE CIC team.

Mr Howarth said the path to homelessness for vulnerable people with mental health problems can take as little as a matter of months - and it is not uncommon for the team to deal with clients on the verge of suicide.

“You ask someone in that position to make a decision between putting the heating on or buying food, they will shut down and do neither.

“It’s absolutely an impossible choice.

“People tell us the moment they arrive ‘I won’t be here tomorrow, I’m ready to go’, but my staff will sit there with them and we’ll work with them and, not only do we get them away from suicidal intentions, we get them on treatment which they’ve been struggling to get for years.

"People would definitely not be here today if it wasn't for the service that we provide.

"That's what we're here for."

Yet mental health cases are not the only rise the team has seen with more families presenting themselves in dire need of support than ever before, yet are the most challenging demographic to cater for.

Mr Howarth said families are most affected by the cost-of-living crisis as single people only have themselves to think about and can make tougher choices.

As millions of us tighten our belts to stay afloat amid spiralling bills, university students have emerged as some of the hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis – with thousands facing the looming threat of homelessness or going hungry 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/20bp3Ol3xp

— Shelter (@Shelter) August 16, 2022

"But if you’ve got three or four children and they’re hungry or cold, you don’t have a choice.

"You’ve got to turn your heating on and you’ve got to get food.

"There is no choice you can make – you have to put yourself in more and more debt.”

But he said families are less likely to alert the authorities of their situation until they are already at breaking point, when it's almost too late.

“You try and find a four or five-bedroom house in Oldham for affordable rent.

"You just can’t do it, it just doesn’t exist.

"So it’s very, very difficult.”

But Mr Howarth stressed "prevention is better than a cure" and has encouraged anyone struggling to make their circumstances known as soon as possible.

"People need to do it early, otherwise we end up with a tsunami of people and it's difficult to help.

"It's almost like triage in winter.

"But people need to understand homelessness is not as bad as it used to be - yes it's bad because obviously, you're homeless, but people need to be less affraid of it.

"It is nowhere near as bad as you think it's going to be and there are always ways to get you back on your feet."

Howarth Housing Group, Church Lane, Oldham

Phone: 0161 302 1205

Email: info@howarthhousing.com

Housing Options Team, Civic Centre, Oldham

Phone: 0161 770 4605

Email: housing.options@oldham.gov.uk

A Bed Every Night, Union Street, Oldham

Phone (business hours): 0161 393 7117 

Phone (out of hours): 0800 988 7061

Shelter

Phone: 0808 800 4444