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Uncovering the grim reality of Britain’s hidden homeless population
The government must urgently address hidden homelessness, introducing a package of adequate welfare provisions along with landlord regulation and access to habitable, affordable housing, writes BECK ROBERTSON

HOMELESSNESS is an ongoing problem within Britain, yet the term shouldn’t solely be reserved for those forced to sleep on the streets. There’s a growing number of people who can’t afford a mortgage or exorbitant monthly rents — many aren’t eligible for housing benefit, or their allowance is inadequate, while others are on subsistence wages and forced to exist in temporary, unsafe, or inhabitable accommodation.

In desperation, some have had to turn to more creative, albeit challenging solutions — and although the media likes to glorify #vanlife and “tiny living,” staying in cars, garages, or minivans in an effort to keep off the streets is far from glamorous.    

The government doesn’t count many of these people as homeless, yet without a fixed residential address, they are under British law — and as a result they slip through the net.    

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