Job losses creating 'homelessness time bomb'

Monday, 17 November 2008 12:00 AM

A third of Britain's working population would lose their homes within three months without their main form of income, a survey revealed today.

With reports of as many as 20,000 people losing their jobs last week, around four million mortgage holders fear they would lose their homes soon after becoming unemployed.

The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of homelessness charity Crisis, assessed how vulnerable people now are to homelessness because of the recent financial crisis.

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: "The government must act to help people struggling to pay their mortgage to avoid repossession and move quickly to protect private tenants.

"Finally, we must not forget those who are already homeless. They are in danger, once again, of being at the bottom of the pile," she added.

Over 27 million people have taken steps in response to the economic downturn, but 30 per cent have used savings and 21 per cent have borrowed from banks lenders or credit cards.

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