Rural homelessness: England's hidden crisis

Rural homelessness is an unseen crisis in the countryside, driven by limited access to jobs, infrastructure, support networks and ultimately housing.

Rough sleepers in rural areas aren’t consistently captured by traditional methods of counting, meaning this issue is often underreported in rural areas. Despite this, CPRE reported a 115% rise in rural homelessness in just two years.

The NHF has jointly commissioned research as part of a rural task force including leading national rural charities and housing associations to look into the unique drivers of rural homelessness. This research is being undertaken in partnership with Kent and Southampton Universities.

Recorded 4 July 2022, as part of Rural Housing Week 2022, this discussion examines the issues from different perspectives and brings together experts from universities, housing associations and charities to explore how we can work together to better support service users and drive down rural homelessness.

Speakers include:

• Dr Helen Carr, Southampton University
• Martin Collett, English Rural Housing Association
• Anne-Marie Osborne, AKT
• Dr Carin Tunaker, Kent University
• Boris Worrall, Rooftops Housing Group