Hertfordshire homeless charity “bursting at the seams” due to unprecedented demand
DENS provided more than 3,000 stays at its emergency overnight accommodation last year
A Hertfordshire homeless charity says it’s “bursting at the seams” as more people are needing to turn to them for help.
DENS based in Hemel Hempstead provides a range of integrated services for people in Dacorum who are facing homelessness, poverty and social exclusion.
Last year, the charity provided more than 3,000 stays at its emergency overnight accommodation, which is a 21% increase from the year before.
Now, Chief Executive Wendy Lewington says they are experiencing unprecedented demand with its services “bursting at the seams”.
She said: “we have a 44-bed hostel, we also have a crash pad which is literally when people can't get into the hostel. All of those services were of full capacity, and we were having to look at additional services on top of that.
“We are literally bursting at the seams at the moment. People often think of homelessness when it's cold and in the middle of winter, but it is constant.
“The demand on our services at the moment is absolutely relentless.”
“Homelessness is most definitely increasing, not decreasing.”
Adding: “There are a lot of people out there who are really, really struggling financially, including people that are working. For a lot of people, all you need is to lose a job or maybe even to some shifts at work and that can make the difference.”
“There's a range of issues that are really complex, but it's not going away - the issues are becoming more and more significant.”