英ロンドン、路上生活者が増加　家賃など高騰で

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英ロンドンで路上生活者が増加しており、政府に抜本的対策を求める声が上がっている。（写真は英ロンドンの繁華街オックスフォードストリートで寝る人）
　英国では、過去数十年で最悪のインフレにより、住宅ローン金利や家賃が高騰している。
　ロンドン議会が今週発表した統計によると、今年４～６月の市内の路上生活者は、前年同期比９％増の３２７２人に上った。うち４９％は路上生活は初めてだった。
　英政府は２０２４年までに、イングランドの路上生活者をゼロとする目標を掲げている。
　だが、ホームレス支援団体をまとめる「ホームレス・リンク」の代表リック・ヘンダーソン氏は、この目標は「いまや完全に達成不可能」だとＡＦＰに話した。
　ヘンダーソン氏は「手頃な価格の住宅不足の深刻化、家賃の高騰、ホームレス支援団体の経営状態の悪化」が根源にあると指摘。「政府は、住宅手当を増やして家賃を少なくとも３分の１減らすとともに、賃借人の権利を強化するための法改正を行うなど防止策を優先するべきだ」と主張した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/08/03-17:17）

An increasing number of people are sleeping rough on the streets of London with campaigners calling on the British government to tackle the root causes of the problem.
UK mortgage rates and rents have been soaring since decades-high inflation fuelled the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Figures released this week by the London Assembly recorded 3,272 people sleeping rough in London between April and June 2023.
This marks a nine percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Just under half (49 percent) of the people sleeping rough in London in April-June 2023 were on the streets for the first time, according to the report.
The UK government has set a target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024.
But Rick Henderson, chief executive at Homeless Link, said this target is now looking completely out of reach.
He told AFP of a huge lack of genuinely affordable housing, soaring rents and homelessness services struggling to make ends meet.
The government must prioritise prevention, including raising the local housing allowance to include at least the lower third of rents, and finally enacting the Renters Reform Bill so renters have more security, Henderson said.
We need the government to target the root causes rather than just simply alleviating the symptoms, said Francesca Albanese, director of policy and social change at Crisis, a homelessness charity.
No one should have to endure life on the streets, but as living costs continue to rise across the country, more people could be forced into homelessness over the coming months unless we see action taken, she said in a statement to AFP.
In 2022, the number of people sleeping rough in England increased for the first time since 2017, according to government statistics.