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More than 100,000 renters at risk of eviction due to Universal Credit cut, Crisis warns
More than 100,000 renters could be at risk of eviction if the government presses ahead with the planned cut to Universal Credit, Crisis has warned.
New analysis of UK government data by the homelessness charity revealed that more than 100,000 low-income renters in England on Universal Credit will be at least two or more months behind on their rent when the planned £20 cut is implemented from next week.
Crisis has raised fears that thousands will be at risk of being pushed into homelessness as they struggle to keep their heads above water.
According to the charity, the cut, which will see people on Universal Credit lose an average of £87 per month or the equivalent of £1,040 over a year, will hit struggling households amid rapidly soaring energy prices, a freeze on housing benefit that does not keep up with rising rents in most parts of the country and the possibility of further redundancies in the wake of the government’s furlough scheme ending this month.
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Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “For many struggling renters, this cut could be the final blow that forces them from their homes.
“We know that when people have somewhere stable to live, they are in a better position to find work, build their careers and contribute to the economy as it reopens. Taking this vital lifeline away risks undermining all of this.
“If we are truly serious about levelling up the country and rebuilding our economy so it works for everyone, then the UK government must change course and keep the £20 uplift so that people don’t needlessly lose their homes this winter and we have a fighting chance at recovery.
“The UK government assured people they would not lose their home because of the crisis; we must not fail them now.”
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