Homelessness, poverty and poor mental health are on the rise in England’s hidden pockets of immense poverty, especially in areas perceived to be relatively wealthy.

Our new report, Vital Signs, which combines statistical data with local surveys for 22 areas in the country, shines a spotlight on the issues facing our communities. The reports have exposed specific problems of increased poverty, homelessness and poor mental health. In Newquay Central, for example, 45% of children are living in poverty, and in some areas in Bristol this is almost at 50%.

The findings suggest many people feel left behind, as access to community support, services and opportunities becomes increasingly unequal and as statutory provision continues to contract.

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The increase in poverty is clear. The proportion of homeless households in Milton Keynes that include children or pregnant women has grown by 128% since 2013, to 5.7 out of 1,000 households – significantly higher than the national rate of 1.9. Cornwall has the third-highest number of people sleeping rough in England, with young people increasingly turning to couch surfing as an alternative to finding a home.

Local communities in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and the south-west are also seeing significant increases in reports of mental illness and related behavioural problems, such as substance abuse and self-harm, particularly for young people.

One in 10 young people in Luton are likely to have a mental health condition and 22,700 children and young people (8%) in Cambridgeshire live with a parent with a mental illness. Between one and two-thirds of these children and young people are likely to develop mental health problems themselves. At the same time, resources to address these problems have shrunk considerably in recent years and many people have been left unable to access the support they need.

As the government is not going to reverse the austerity agenda, we need to look to local charities and support those giving in our local areas. Strong communities are the key to a cohesive and prosperous civil society, often kept afloat by the thousands of local groups and charities supporting those in need.

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In Cornwall, for example, we are working with the Community Land Trust to offer a simple way for second-home owners to help Cornish communities. They just give one week’s rent a year to the scheme, which supports a crisis fund to address hardship and homelessness. It also helps the Community Land Trust to deliver genuinely affordable homes.



These small charities largely go unrecognised for their vital work. We hope these reports can connect local donors to the grassroots organisations supporting vulnerable people in their area, and remind us all of the huge need on our own doorsteps.

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