Sharp rise in disabled people facing homelessness in England, Crisis warns

Sharp rise in disabled people facing homelessness in England, Crisis warns

Charity calls for urgent action as benefit cuts, housing shortage, and health crises collide

More than 60,000 disabled households in England faced homelessness in the past year — a 74% increase since 2019, according to new analysis of government figures by the homelessness charity Crisis. The spike is raising alarm among campaigners, health professionals, and some Labour MPs, as the government presses ahead with a controversial overhaul of disability benefits.

The figures reveal that 21% of all households facing homelessness in the final quarter of 2024 included at least one person with a disability or chronic physical condition. In total, 62,040 disabled households were threatened with homelessness in 2023/24, up from 35,860 in 2018/19.

Meanwhile, the share of social housing allocations going to households with a disability has fallen — from 20% in 2022/23 to just 16% this year.

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“Going further in the wrong direction”: MPs warn against benefit cuts

The figures have deepened concerns within the Labour Party about proposed cuts to disability benefits, including changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), announced in a March welfare shake-up. Critics argue these reforms will only exacerbate an already dire situation.

Labour MP Paula Barker, who co-chairs a parliamentary group on homelessness, warned the government against “going further and faster in the wrong direction.”

“These numbers are hugely significant,” she said. “When combined with the benefit changes, they’ll have a real detrimental and knock-on impact.”

Barker also pointed to Treasury restrictions on government policy, calling the fiscal approach a "straightjacket" that is limiting urgent reform. “There’s a deep-rooted Treasury orthodoxy from civil servants that fits hand-in-glove with a chancellor who’s gone along with it,” she said.

Although Labour won the general election on a promise to “end homelessness”, many MPs are growing restless as no formal national strategy has yet emerged 10 months into Starmer’s government.

Personal stories highlight the human cost

Among those affected is Julie, a woman with severe osteoarthritis who was forced into temporary accommodation for five months in Oxfordshire alongside her teenage son. They moved between three hotels, one of which couldn't accommodate her mobility scooter, and another had no kitchen or fridge access.

“It was really difficult and affected my health,” Julie said. “We were eating instant pasta. It was hard to get around in my old wheelchair.” She was later diagnosed with type-2 diabetes — a condition she links directly to the stress and living conditions during that period.

Her experience underscores how homelessness can trigger or worsen health conditions, particularly for those already vulnerable.

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Charities urge joined-up approach to housing and health

Alex Bax, CEO of the homelessness and healthcare charity Pathway, called for bolder, integrated government action, warning that the health service alone cannot meet the needs of people in housing crisis.

“We need to treat poor health and homelessness in the joined-up way that these figures show is so desperately needed,” he said.

Matt Downie, CEO of Crisis, echoed the urgency, calling for 90,000 new social homes to be built each year. “The figures are really concerning and point to more hardship and pressure on already overstretched councils,” he said.

Government says it inherited a crisis — and £1bn is coming

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the government had inherited “a devastating housing crisis” and confirmed that £1 billion is being made available to councils to prevent homelessness in 2025.

They added that the government is “tackling the root causes” by building 1.5 million new homes in England and fixing the social care system. A Treasury source also claimed that Labour had invested £40bn more in public services and boosted capital infrastructure investment by £100bn.

But housing advocates warn that these measures fall short of what is needed to protect disabled and chronically ill people from the spiraling effects of unaffordable rents, reduced benefits, and inaccessible shelter options.

As councils and charities brace for another difficult year, the call for a coherent housing strategy from Downing Street grows louder — especially from within Labour’s own ranks.

Stay tuned to The Horizons Times for continued coverage of housing policy, disability rights, and the fight to end homelessness in the UK.