Summary
Against the backdrop of a £442m pledge from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to get all homeless people off the streets by Christmas, shocking figures from field workers here in Gloucestershire suggest the social crisis across the county is continuing to worsen.
Details
Between 2025 to 2026, YMCA Cheltenham said the experience of its remit alone showed the charity’s team had stepped in to support 652 people through its housing services – including 116 families, 78 children and 55 young people aged 16-24.
The stark local perspective comes as latest government data indicates how, during the first three months of this year, 3,940 households in the South West were identified to be “at risk of homelessness” – a rise that spelt a new 21% INCREASE on the previous quarter. And this number included 73 households in Cheltenham and 164 in Gloucester.
YMCA Cheltenham , which in August saw plans for its new £6m supported accommodation in Gloucester steam ahead, said it had provided more than 100,000 nights of emergency accommodation in the last 12 months, which was more than double the 47,000 nights the charity provided five years ago, “highlighting the growing demand for housing support across Gloucestershire”.
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The charity, which has been supporting vulnerable people across the county since 1855, disclosed its figures from its latest Annual Impact Report at its 170th AGM at Hatherley Manor. Cheltenham YMCA also coordinates FEED Cheltenham, supporting six independent community pantries.
Figures for the year also showed that the charity helped feed 51% more households last year compared to the year before, the work including 1,338 children and 2,695 people overall. Its annual efforts were against a national backdrop of 39,200 households assessed as “being threatened with homelessness” during the same period, up 1.8% on the previous year.
Joseph Main, CEO of YMCA Cheltenham, told Punchline-Gloucester.com: “The challenges facing our local communities are continuing to mount.
We saw a 6% rise in the number of residents going through our PATHWAY HOME programme last year, helping them off the streets or to overcome challenging situations, to once again connect with society and live independently through our supported accommodation.” He added: “While every number represents an individual person or family facing difficult circumstances, our figures also show the incredible resilience of our community and the impact that early intervention and sustained support can have.” In August this year the Government committed £39 billion to boost the delivery of social and affordable homes over the next 10 years, with an ambition to build 1.5m homes by the end of this Parliament.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester
