Private Renting: Homeless and Vulnerable People Debate

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Private Renting: Homeless and Vulnerable People

Daniel Kawczynski Excerpts
Wednesday 8th February 2017

(7 years, 10 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Daniel Kawczynski Portrait Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)
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My hon. Friend will come on to talk about various organisations that help people with homelessness. Shrewsbury Homes for All in my constituency does a good job of trying to help homeless people. Does he agree that the Government ought to do more to help such organisations?

Lord Benyon Portrait Richard Benyon
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Unless we are extremely hard-hearted, we are all moved not only by the huddled figures in doorways and the cases that come to us of people who are either homeless or likely to be homeless but by organisations in our constituencies such as the one my hon. Friend mentions. It is when those organisations work with local authorities and a Government and all point in the same direction that we can get real solutions to this problem, and I am sure that that happens in his constituency.

The Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research found that 55% of landlords said they were unwilling to let to tenants in receipt of housing benefit, and even more—82%—were unwilling to rent to homeless people. The majority of local authorities agree that it has become more difficult for single homeless people to access private rented accommodation.