{"id":6078,"date":"2023-04-19T14:46:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/?post_type=press&p=6078"},"modified":"2023-04-19T15:25:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T14:25:02","slug":"half-of-people-surveyed-living-in-greater-london-are-worried-about-eviction-due-to-increased-cost-of-living-and-2-in-3-are-unable-to-afford-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/press\/half-of-people-surveyed-living-in-greater-london-are-worried-about-eviction-due-to-increased-cost-of-living-and-2-in-3-are-unable-to-afford-the-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Half of people surveyed living in Greater London are worried about eviction* due to increased cost of living and 2 in 3 are unable to afford the basics**"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday 18 April 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

New survey finds that over half of people surveyed living in Greater London are worried about eviction* due to increased cost of living and 2 in 3 are unable to afford the basics**<\/strong><\/p>\n

Youth homelessness charity Depaul UK launches a <\/strong>major appeal<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to help young people at risk of homelessness rebuild their lives.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A youth homelessness charity has launched an urgent appeal to help prevent young people living in London falling back into homelessness.<\/p>\n

A new survey by Depaul UK highlights how vulnerable people are struggling to keep their lives on track because of rising costs. It found that more than half (50.9 per cent) of people surveyed living in Greater London are worried about eviction* due to increased cost of living, and 2 in 3 (67%) surveyed living in the capital said they\u2019re struggling to afford the basics, including food, travel and heating**.<\/p>\n

In addition, the survey found that over 1 in 3 (34%) people surveyed in Greater London have missed vital appointments regarding jobs, housing or benefits due to the cost of travel, or lack enough phone credit\/ phone charge to make the necessary calls.<\/p>\n

High rents (55%) and family breakdown due to rising costs of living (34%) are the main causes for housing insecurity for those who think that their current living situation is unstable or that they could be evicted.<\/p>\n

Cliff Dymond, Area Director for London at Depaul UK said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThese figures are deeply concerning, but not surprising. We\u2019re witnessing the effects of the cost-of-living crisis daily.\u00a0 What\u2019s so worrying is the huge threat to the futures of young people across London, especially those trying hard to rebuild their lives after homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a young person can\u2019t make ends meet, they risk eviction and the devastating possibility of returning to homelessness. We cannot allow this to happen, because out there they are exposed to increased risks around criminal exploitation, poor mental health and loss of hope for a better future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany young people experiencing homelessness who have managed to come so far to secure their future are now struggling to keep their lives on track because of increased living costs. That\u2019s why our team works hard to help them as much as possible, but demand for our services has never been greater. We urgently need donations to cover the increased costs to support young people experiencing homelessness\u201d<\/p>\n

Claudia***, 23, from Wandsworth<\/strong>\u00a0was in and out of care homes growing up, and also lived with a mixture of foster parents. At 18, Claudia left care and went into a flatshare where she had to learn quickly about budgeting and being independent. Claudia now lives alone and works full-time as a young person\u2019s advocate. Despite being employed, she still struggles to make ends meet and reached out to Depaul UK last year because she was worried about her living situation, and also needed some support with her mental health.<\/p>\n

Claudia said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI was referred to Depaul UK late last year as I was having a lot of mental health difficulties which were affecting my bills and other things went down with it. I don\u2019t get enough to be able to budget properly because everything, including rent, gas and electric bills have gone up. Sometimes it\u2019s choosing between food or electricity.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not feeling great with your mental health and you can\u2019t eat at the same time, then it\u2019s not a great combination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think things can impact care leavers more as we don\u2019t have a family that we can go back to – we can\u2019t go to our parents\u2019 house and raid the fridge, and we\u2019re literally by ourselves. It\u2019s hard because we\u2019ve come out of care so we\u2019re dealing with a lot of trauma. This is another obstacle to go through. I\u2019m so glad Depaul UK is here to support us, I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d do without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria****, 22 lives in London <\/strong>and says although she\u2019s already come so far in her life and positive mindset, she says it can be hard to find motivation sometimes because of financial pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be demotivating sometimes to feel you have no money no matter how far I\u2019ve come, so yes, sometimes it feels the world is against you. When I left university, I became instantly homeless, and I stayed with a friend for a while before I was helped find temporary accommodation, which is where I am now.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment, I\u2019m focused on my business and marketing course, and most importantly, my mental health and wellbeing. Depaul UK is a great support to me because my coach helps me budget and makes sure I\u2019ve got a routine to stick to each day. But I can see how stretched their services are, and how many people they have to help each day – they can only do so much with what they have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live on around \u00a3200 a month, and sometimes spiral into negative thinking, and feel hopeless because a scarcity mindset can kick in at times . But I pick myself up – I know things will get better, and Depaul UK makes life a little bit easier to have hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Achraf***, 22 lives in London. <\/strong>He moved here in 2020 and is supported by Depaul UK. He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to the UK seeking asylum four years ago, I had very little. However, thanks to the help of Depaul UK I\u2019m now studying IT full time and will be starting an apprenticeship next year. I don\u2019t have much money to live on currently, but I\u2019m dedicated to my studies and making a better life for myself. Of course, living in London I do find everything is very expensive, so I must stick to a very tight budget. Depaul helped me manage my money, they provide me with accommodation, so I have somewhere safe to live, and help me with my paperwork. It\u2019s a very challenging time now because of the increased cost of living, but thanks to the support I am given I am excited for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

In support of the appeal, Sir Trevor McDonald, Depaul UK Patron\u00a0said:<\/p>\n

“For more than 20 years I have been proudly associated with Depaul UK and the problem of homelessness is as acute today as it was then. Please join me in supporting this campaign to tackle the devastating impact of the cost-of-living crisis on young people.”<\/p>\n

Depaul UK provides mental health support, financial assistance and money management advice, it tries to get people better utility deals and supports them to deal with arrears. The charity helps people access food banks and apply for hardship funds, but demand for all of these services is growing rapidly.<\/p>\n

You can donate to Depaul UK\u2019s Cost of Living Crisis appeal to help keep a young person from falling back into homelessness by visiting\u00a0www.depaul.org.uk\/urgent-appeal-cost-of-living-crisis<\/a><\/p>\n

This video by Depaul UK explains more about how the cost-of-living is affecting young people: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kCu_FfIcG9E<\/a><\/p>\n

-Ends-<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notes to Editors<\/strong><\/p>\n

For case studies, interviews and image enquiries please contact Communications@depaul.org.uk<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

*Combination of those who stated they were \u2018Very worried\u2019 or \u2018Worried\u2019<\/p>\n

** Combination of those who responded \u2018Frequently\u2019, \u2018Regularly\u2019 or \u2018Sometimes\u2019<\/p>\n

***Names have been changed to protect identities<\/p>\n

The survey was carried out on behalf of Depaul UK with 2,002 respondents (aged 16-34) from the North East, Manchester and London. There were 668 respondents from London.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Depaul\u00a0UK<\/strong><\/p>\n