Debt Talk: Debt, housing costs & homelessness (Podcast)

According to Shelter, a homelessness charity, there are 271,000 people recorded as homeless in England of which 123,000 children.

To navigate this month’s Debt Talk podcast with Ripon Ray on: ‘Debt, housing costs and homelessness', expert panellists who specialise in the benefits system, policy and debt.

Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director of Policy in Practice, spoke about the true meaning of homelessness in the UK, and how the current benefit system that was initially ‘designed ‘to simplify things, as it stands, appears not fit for purpose because the current system does not pay sufficient financial assistance to support vulnerable communities who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness. Although he was involved in designing universal credit during its initial policy development, there are wider issues that require discussion, such as the number of homes available and the cost of renting and owning a home.

Amy Taylor, Debt Adviser and Chair of the Greater Manchester Money Advice Group, spoke about how local governments are on the verge of collapsing due to cuts from the central government, the demand for temporary accommodation getting higher each year and they also have to prioritise services. She emphasised that many migrants are evicted from hostels and they are also left destitute and homeless.

She also explored the impact debts can have on getting onto the property ladder - either as a tenant or homebuyer - home due to the impact debts can have on someone's credit rating. Social landlords may emphasise that prospective tenants pay previous rent arrears to their social landlord before providing prospective tenants with a new home. They also provided TOP TIPS to my listeners to address some of the homelessness-related challenges to vulnerable communities and professionals.

The next podcast is to cover: ‘Gambling and debt’. If you want to hear a specific subject on the Debt Talk podcast, you can get in touch with Ripon Ray: ripon.ray@yourdoctordebt.com or Twitter: YourDoctorDebt.

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