The upheaval of our lives due to COVID continues to reveal issues in our country. Our NHS has been worked to the bone, small businesses are forced to bring their shutters down permanently, and we are all cooped up at home. However, there is an issue that has been on the rise well before the pandemic. Homelessness in London. Due to austerity measures, layoffs and a constant trend of increasing prices in Britain, and more specifically London, more and more find themselves on the rough side of the street.

East London bears the biggest brunt of Homelessness. In fact, the borough of Newham had a homelessness rate of 1 in 24 in late 2018, more than 4% of the borough’s population. Closely followed were the Boroughs of Haringey, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, boasting similar statistics. Yet the issue has been made invisible, our government taking a ‘out-of-sight, out of mind’ approach. Home prices both sale and rent have steadily chugged along over the past decade, not to mention the increasing council tax. It’s not just the bureaucratic costs to consider. Locals in Newham will quip that the cost of a bus these days is ‘enough to cover three buses some years ago’. With the constant inflation and costs, combined with annual wages not keeping pace, life in London is becoming increasingly difficult.

All this was before the COVID outbreak sweeping us off our feet. Now with a pandemic in play and wave after wave of lockdowns set in place, the situation has gotten much worse. The immediate impact is obvious: since less employers need people around, layoffs are becoming alarmingly frequent. For those who live barely making ends meet, the loss of an income source can be absolutely devastating. It is estimated that about 20,000 families have been made homeless since the beginning of the first lockdown. To add insult to injury, some charities that helped provide food, sanitary items and warm clothing have had to suspend their activities due to the strict regulations put in place. For example Barts and The London’s Islamic Society ran a monthly street kitchen to feed and clothe the homeless but had to suspend its activities due to lockdown rules.

So, what can you do to help?

• Be aware of how severe the problem is in your area

• Find out what facilities are available to help in your area.

• Being aware of the issue and the solution makes you more equipped to handle it.

• If you can afford it, donate to some homeless charities like Shelter who help take people off the street.