A man in Manchester is living on the streets in preparation for what he says is the inevitability of being evicted. The 54-year-old, whose name has been changed to James to protect his identity, believes it is only a matter of time until he becomes homeless because of the cost of living crisis.
James had been sleeping rough for 25 years before securing accommodation in September thanks to Manchester City Council and a housing agency. But he says an accumulation of debt and expensive bills have left him in a hopeless predicament once more.
And he's not on his own. More than 66,000 extra people will become homeless by 2024 as a result of the rise in living costs and frozen benefits, according to a study commissioned by housing charity Crisis.
