Diseases, some of them already believed to have been extinct, are spreading among Britons living below the poverty level, Germany’s Tagesschau television program reports. The epicenter of this invisible epidemic is hidden behind the façades of London, in hostels, hotels, and guesthouses. This is where the city accommodates around 183,000 homeless people, including more than 2,000 families. They have to stay there longer and longer, says Sam Ashton from London Councils, the association of London boroughs. “Homelessness has reached historic levels across the U.K. But the crisis is particularly acute in London.” According to official estimates, 1 in 50 Londoners has no accommodation of their own. One in 21 children lives in emergency accommodation, almost one per classroom. Ashton says, “It’s a crisis at all levels.”
For a long time, too little affordable housing has been built. At the same time, rents on the barely regulated free market are continuing to rise. The coronavirus pandemic has added to this, and now, there is a crisis with the rising cost of living. More and more families are simply no longer able to pay rent, and, while the districts are obliged to provide accommodations for families who have become homeless, they are also finding it increasingly difficult to afford to rent new apartments.