Bleak Prospect for Rural Homeless

10.34.13pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 31st Aug 2004

A lack of affordable housing means many more people in England's rural areas are becoming homeless, the Countryside Agency says in its 2004 report on the State of the Countryside. The proportion of homeless households in remote rural districts rose by almost 30% in two years. More people are moving from towns into rural England, causing house prices to rise faster, the Agency says.

Homelessness charities warned of a "devastating impact" on rural families.

Countryside Agency chairwoman Pam Warhurst said increasing migration to England's countryside was having an "unintended impact". She urged the government to develop policies to ensure changes in rural areas were sustainable. "Those who exercise their choice to move can reduce the choices of the less well-off in rural areas and affect the character of our countryside," she said. "The most damaging effect is the increase in house prices, making fewer and fewer homes affordable for local families and increasing homelessness in remoter areas."

The report warns homelessness is "commonly perceived as an urban problem, largely as a result of the invisibility and underestimation of homelessness in rural areas". Nationwide, the problem was exacerbated by a lack of social housing, the report said, accounting for only 13% of homes in rural areas compared to 22% in towns.