Shelter: Govt must fund more social housing

Homelessness charity Shelter has welcomed measures to help young people sleeping rough, but called on the government to commit cash to build more social homes.

Shelter chief executive Adam Sampson was responding to communities secretary Ruth Kelly's speech at the Andy Ludlow homelessness awards.

He said: "The government's commitment to stop using bed and breakfasts to house 16 and 17-year-olds and provide supported lodgings are positive moves which will improve the safety net for this vulnerable group.

"Forty years ago [television drama] Cathy Come Home highlighted the tragic effect on young families of having nowhere to call home – yet today there are still more than one million children trapped by bad housing or homelessness."

To "lift today's Cathys and their children out of the nightmare of bad housing", Mr Sampson called on the Treasury to commit funding for 20,000 extra social homes every year.