THE government could prevent 60,000 families and individuals being driven into homelessness if it takes bold action over the next 10 years, new research suggests. 

Charity Crisis has warned that without a concerted effort by ministers, England could see a 22 per cent rise in total homelessness and a 90 per cent rise in rough sleeping over the next decade. 

There are already over 200,000 families and individuals without a home this Christmas in England, according to figures published earlier this month by the charity. 

This number, which includes rough sleepers, people staying in hostels and refuges and unsuitable temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts, is predicted to soar to 246,200 by 2031. 

But new research commissioned by Crisis and carried out by Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University predicts that with the introduction of a range of policies, the number of homeless households could drop to 185,600 by then, a reduction of 25 per cent.

The package of measures needed includes continued investment in housing benefit, the construction of more social housing and a national roll-out of the “housing first” model, a scheme that provides chronically homeless people with a house without conditions. 

The charity claims that if the measures are implemented, England could also see rough sleeping reduced by 62 per cent compared with current predictions and sofa-surfing drop by 13 per cent. 

Homelessness in England rose yearly since 2015, reaching its peak before the pandemic, when numbers jumped from 207,600 (2018) to over 219,000 at the end of 2019, according to Crisis’s State of Homelessness report, published earlier this month. 

A slight reduction this year is down to government action to house rough sleepers in emergency accommodation, including hotels, during the pandemic.

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen unprecedented action to protect people experiencing some of the worst forms of homelessness. 

“Today’s figures show how, while we’ve taken steps forward, we’re now at a crucial point where homelessness could either skyrocket over the next decade or can be brought down with similar bold action to what we’ve seen this year.”

Future homeless figures were calculated based on the impact of Covid-19, as well as house prices and the availability of social rented housing.  

The Ministry of Communities, Housing & Local Government was approached for comment.