60,000 London families at risk of homelessness this Christmas

According to research published on Friday, almost 60,000 London families face the threat of losing their homes this Christmas.

Commissioned by a homelessness charity, the research looked at court orders and evictions, and identified certain areas across the country where the risk of being made homeless is greatest. Across the country, one in every 105 households on average is at risk of repossession or eviction, although some areas are more at risk than others.

The London Borough of Newham comes out as the worst in the country, with one in 35 households having had a court order made against it this year and the seriousness of capital’s housing crisis is apparent, with the London boroughs dominating the top twenty crisis hotspots.

“The fact that London has such high rents and house prices puts people at a particular disadvantage,” said Keith Fernett, Director of Newham homeless charity Anchor House.

“Many families are living paycheck to paycheck and things like zero-hours contracts, pay day loans and benefits cuts are resulting in a society where the poorest are excluded and more people than ever are on the brink of losing their home.

“This year at Anchor House, our occupancy rate has been around 99.2% and even though our residents are getting jobs, it is still a struggle to find a place to live. The reality of ‘affordable’ housing in London requires a salary of at least £30,000 just to rent a flat, and we as a society have got some serious thinking to do if we’re going to solve this.”

For more information on Anchor House see: http://anchorhouseuk.org/