Higher levels of sofa-surfing in Chesterfield
A homeless charity has said the problem could worsen over winter as people face finance troubles
The concealed form of homelessness; sofa surfing is becoming a prevalent issue in the town of Chesterfield.
A homeless charity Pathways of Chesterfield has said that although the level of homelessness on the streets is under control that sofa-surfing is hard to manage, particularly when people do not seek support.
The main problem with sofa-surfing is that it rarely offers a permanent solution to someone's financial situation, and also means they are stuck in a limbo of instability. Sian Jones from the charity said:
"At the minute the numbers are very high for people sofa surfing in the town and I think there isn't that realisation that it's going on and a lot of people haven't got that stable base. When you are sofa-surfing things can change at the drop of a hat. You could have a fall out with someone and you've got no rights."
Rise in evictions could see the problem worsen
The Law Centres Network has said that the UK is set to see a high rate of evictions over coming months, meaning that homelessness will be on the rise. Sian added:
"Over the last year there's been a ban on evictions which obviously over time is going to lead to a build up of people rather than it kind of trickling through. There's going to be a big wave of it."
The emotional pressure of lockdown may also have strained people's living situations, putting them in uncertain situations if their household is not functioning living together. Sian also noted:
"There have been a lot of relationship breakdowns. Lockdown's been a very difficult time for people."
Avoiding evictions
The advice from experts who deal with homelessness is for people to reach out to organisations like Citizens Advice who can offer strategies to people struggling financially. Pathways of Chesterfield wants people who are struggling financially to reach out for support sooner rather than later, particularly this year.
Sian noted that the realities of evictions are very challenging for people as it can be a very turbulent process. She said:
"The worst case scenario is where people turn up at Pathway's doorstep with suitcases and it's dreadful to see. People are quite traumatised by that point and and have almost given up a lot of the time and lost themselves a little bit."
Response during lockdown to homelessness
When coronavirus hit, most homeless people in Derbyshire were able to find accommodation while everyone was told to stay inside but now restriction have eased, the problem has resurfaced according to the charity. Sian said:
"What happened in lockdown was amazing seeing and there was a lot of really positive results seeing homeless people going into accommodation and staying in there. I think a lot of extra funds were placed by local authorities to make that possible over Covid, and unless those suddenly appear again it would make it difficult to offer them that kind of support again long-term."