Falkirk poverty increasing risk of homelessness as 12,000 households see income drop
dailyrecord.co.ukMore than 12,000 households in Falkirk have lost income because of changes to Universal Credit this year and councillors have been warned that homelessness is on the rise with the cost of living crisis.
A report to Falkirk Council's executive this week told members how the number of people experiencing poverty has been rising and the level of hardship is also increasing.That rise is expected to continue in the months ahead as energy prices soar and inflation continues to climb.Figures from 2019/20 show that after housing costs, 6980 children in the Falkirk area were living in poverty - an increase from 6691 children in 2018/19.But that figure is almost certainly higher now and housing manager Kenny Gillespie told members we have almost certainly not yet seen the full effects of the pandemic on the local economy.People working in food banks and food pantries across the district say they have seen increased demand for support, particularly over the festive period.The council is now expecting to see homelessness rise as people find they are unable to pay their rent or mortgage due to the financial squeeze.The report states that in the last three months, compared to the same period in 2020, homeless presentations increased by 5.5% and demand for housing advice leapt up 13.9% - an increase that already stretched housing staff are finding hard to keep up with.The council's benefits advice team estimates that changes to Universal Credit have led to a reduction of nearly £9 million across the district.
While all families lost the £20 uplift that was introduced in response to Covid, around one-third of people did benefit from changes to how much you can earn before Universal Credit is affected.
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