A Salford charity is concerned about the rise of working people becoming homeless amid the cost of living crisis.
Jenni Anne-Smith, CEO of Salford Loaves and Fishes, an organisation helping the homeless, said: “Last winter I knew what I was going in to, there had been a lot of talk about the cost-of-living crisis.
“This winter with no government support coming in and an increase in rent and mortgage payments, it’s unimaginable what we are going to witness.”
Salford Loaves and Fishes offer services such as providing hot meals as well as acting as a much needed support system for those who may be vulnerable in the community .
Smith,44, has faced her share of challenges over the past year with rising living costs, she has seen the organisation helping more people than ever.
“Last year we saw roughly 131 people a day, but this winter I can’t imagine how many more people we’ll see coming through our doors.”
Government funding has been cut for those that are seeking the organisations help. In 2022 the government implemented the £66 a month funding scheme in order to help cover electricity bills. This year that funding is no longer available, this is something that Jenni is extremely worried about.
Jenni added: “Gas and electricity prices are bound to be higher. It’s a prime example of fuel poverty, these people are choosing between heating and eating.
“The digital inclusion gap has got bigger because if people could afford WiFi then, they can’t anymore.
“This is the reality that we are now facing, not just in Salford, but around the rest of the country as well.”
But this year, many of the people asking for support from Jenni are working. With wages not covering their soaring rent and mortgage prices, they have turned to organisations like Jenni’s for help and support.
“The pandemic and the 20 per cent reduction in wages have put some working families below the bread line and into poverty.
“They started coming to our service, some of the people we are seeing have had rent increases of over £300 a month.”
In Salford many people are unable to afford rent and are now relying on hotels and hostels as a way of keeping a roof over their heads.
“These people are working and are unable to afford rent in Salford,” Jenni commented.
Certain demographics are also being disproportionately affected. Jenni has seen an influx of single working men falling through the net, ending up as working homeless.
“A person came into us, a single male he’d split up with his partner, he had very little family only a few distant relatives down south.
“He couldn’t afford to rent a flat and his only option was to pay for a hotel every night.
“He also couldn’t take advantage of the bed for the night scheme.”
This scheme allows for those who are sleeping rough to access a place to stay for the night in either sheltered accommodation or in a hostel.
This scheme however can’t necessarily be accessed by those in employment, meaning that the working homeless must pay for hotels and hostels until their money runs out.
Jenni highlights: “With this scheme you ring a number at 8pm you’re then allocated a bed. That can be anywhere in Manchester, so if you’re working in Salford and you’re allocated a bed in Oldham how do you get from Oldham to Salford when you’ve got no money and you’ve been sleeping in a dorm all night?”
With the colder months setting in, Jenni is bracing herself and her team for what is expected to be her busiest winter yet.
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