You might not believe it if you walk around town on a Friday night, but homelessness is actually falling in Manchester. Since the start of the year, the number of people sleeping on the streets has dropped and fewer families are being housed in B&Bs – with hardly any staying beyond the legal limit now.
It follows a recent spike in homelessness which saw more than 100 families being booked into B&Bs every month with some staying for several weeks. Last year, one mother who was moved around six hotels and B&Bs with her two young sons told the Manchester Evening News that her family was living under the same roof as an alcoholic and a registered sex offender with rats 'everywhere'.
Now, the number of people living in all types of temporary accommodation across the city has dropped by 13.1 pc since the end of 2022 when it peaked at 3,194 households. The use of B&Bs has also fallen from 814 in February to 278 with a 79.7 pc reduction in families housed in this type of accommodation.
