At least 130,000 households in England made homeless in pandemic

While ban on evictions protected some people, domestic abuse and loss of temporary accommodation were common triggers for homelessness

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At least 130,000 households in England were made homeless during the first year of the pandemic, despite the government's ban on evictions, according to data sourced by the Observer. With the ban now over, fears are rising that a surge of evictions may be imminent. But the Observer's figures show that even while the ban was in place, households were being forced from their homes.

The ban didn't stop tens of thousands from facing homelessness," said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter. During the pandemic, the most common triggers for homelessness were no longer being able to stay with friends or family, losing a private tenancy, and domestic abuse."