Bridlington: The seaside town facing a tide of homelessness

As renters grapple with price hikes and the cost of living crisis continues to bite, BBC News speaks to people in one seaside town facing a rising tide of homelessness.

In the centre of Bridlington is the Christ Church Hope Hub.

It's a place where many people with nowhere to live go to get food and basic everyday supplies.

Toni Miles, who runs the operation, says some of the people she meets have been housed in hotels.

While they may have a roof, they do not have kitchen facilities to make a hot meal for themselves and their families.

"Some people are taking tins to eat cold because they haven't got anything to cook on," she says.

Volunteering at the church is 39-year-old Lizzy Smith.

She and her partner spent two years living in a tent in woodland and on the seafront.

Lizzy, like many who come to the church, has battled with addiction.

"I'm very proud of myself. I've come out of the other side," she explains.

Lizzy has been clean for eight months and is now living in temporary supported accommodation paid for by the council.

It's a roof over her head but she is desperate to find somewhere permanent to call home.

She says: "To know that those keys in your hand belong to you... they are yours and you don't have to hand them back.

"It means everything."

Lizzy's struggle to find somewhere to live is not unique.

Bridlington is in the midst of a housing crisis, according to Hull and East Riding Citizens Advice.

Staff member John Connelly describes the situation as "heartbreaking" and says housing availability is the lowest he has ever seen.

The scale of the problem is reflected in figures obtained by the BBC.

In the first three months of 2021, 25 people presented as homeless across East Yorkshire.

In the same period in 2023 that had soared to 137.

Bridlington accounted for 110 people in that total.

The increase is costing East Riding of Yorkshire Council hundreds of thousands of pounds as they try to find temporary places for people to stay.

In 2021, the authority spent £26,000 housing people in temporary accommodation in the town. Last year the total spend was £189,000.

Councillor Gary McMaster, portfolio holder for housing and infrastructure for the council, fears the problem is only going to get "worse and worse".

"We are pulling out all of the stops," he says.

"We've increased our staff dealing with it so we can be more proactive rather than reactive.

"We are coping at the moment and just day-by-day we reassess it."

Large terraced guest houses which used to be filled with holidaymakers ready to enjoy the resort's sweeping sandy beach are now being used to house the homeless.

Rent on private properties has increased in the town by around £100 a month.

Ryan Melles has been a landlord in the town for 20 years and has seen rents increase by at least 10% recently.

He says: "We are at an all-time high of rent. It's just increased in-line with inflation.

"Landlords are trying but costs for landlords have gone up - interest rates and general costs.

"It's not that they are earning more money, they are just covering their costs."

For those on housing benefit, the sharp rises have made it more difficult to rent.

Despite that, Ryan says he is receiving hundreds of enquiries for every property he advertises.

"We have a social responsibility with tenants to try to house people because everyone is in need of housing but sadly we can't house everyone," he adds.

As well as trying to expand the construction of affordable homes, the council, which has 1,600 properties in its portfolio, is also thinking laterally.

The pandemic switch to working from home has freed up local authority offices, which it is converting into accommodation.

However, the council admits these longer-term solutions are not going to solve the problem for people now.

Mr McMaster says: "It's going to get exponentially more demanding as time goes on.

"Somehow we will cope."

Meanwhile, Beth Brookes is living in fear of being homeless.

The 28-year-old was given temporary accommodation by the council three months ago but has since been served an eviction notice.

She and her two children, aged six and 19 months, have been living in a two-bed flat with scraps of carpet covering the floors.

In the stairwell, rubbish has been dumped by other tenants and Beth says it regularly smells of cannabis.

Despite this, she is desperate to stay.

She says: "I've got two young vulnerable children - where am I supposed to go?

"This is our first home together as a family.

"We've been at my mum's, we've been in bed and breakfast. Nowhere has been home for us.

"This flat means more to me than money could buy."

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can visit BBC Action Line for more help and support.

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]