Back home, Damo Buxton, a 36-year-old employee of online electrical retailer AO, makes up to £2,500 a month. Despite his steady income, he faces the harsh reality of homelessness, primarily due to his low credit score and the exorbitant deposits demanded for private rentals. His situation highlights a growing concern in the UK: working individuals are increasingly finding themselves unable to secure stable housing.
Buxton’s predicament is not unique. He explained his frustration, stating, “I’m a 36-year-old man. At the end of the day, I should be standing on my own two feet.” Unfortunately, his experience is not unique and points to a much larger problem. Numerous individuals with permanent employment encounter financial barriers that prevent them from obtaining stable housing.
Closer to home, 29-year-old Izzy Longmore became homeless after leaving an abusive relationship. So she really had no safe place to go. She camped out in her car in a township near the Staffordshire frontier. Longmore’s plight took a turn for the worse when local officials rejected her request for housing assistance. They decided her gross income of £1,000 a month was excessive for support. After she had worn out every welcome sofa-surfing with friends and family, she found herself with a future very much at risk living on the streets.
I didn’t want to put that guilt on them by basically saying, ‘if you don’t help me I’m going to be homeless’, Longmore shared, reflecting the emotional toll that homelessness takes on individuals and their relationships.
The sad situation of Buxton and Longmore highlights the increasing perils of homelessness crisis across the UK. According to Shelter, one of the biggest charities fighting homelessness in the UK, just 39 people are known to be sleeping rough in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. They caution that the true number is likely much greater because many cases go unreported.
Birmingham leads the way with over 18,300 residents facing homelessness, while Coventry has 3,500 and Sandwell has 770. These increasing figures raise alarming concerns regarding the efficacy of our existing support structures. Even the most highly employed individuals often encounter insurmountable obstacles that inhibit them from obtaining stable and safe housing.
Buxton expressed his concern for workers in similar situations, noting, “If you’re a working person like myself who doesn’t have any drug addictions, I find they just [say], ‘it’s ok, he’s not a vulnerable person’.” His feelings represent a broader frustration shared by so many people on the margins who are just out of reach of social services because they are working.
As working-class Americans face skyrocketing costs of living and increasingly impossible rental standards, many are slipping through the cracks and joining the ranks of the homeless. Buxton and Longmore’s narratives underscore how tortured and complex this issue is. Financial stability does not necessarily equate to housing security.
