Record homeless figures

Monday, 13 December 2004 12:00 AM

For the first time, the number of households living in temporary accommodation has topped 100,000 according to official figures.

In the third quarter of this year, there were 100,810 homeless families in local authority accommodation, one per cent up from the previous quarter and seven per cent higher than the same period in 2003.

The Government stresses that the majority of these families (82 per cent) were in self contained accommodation, but admits there has been a slight rise (two per cent on the previous quarter) in bed and breakfast accommodation. But, it points out there has been a 28 per cent overall decrease in B&B usage since September 2003. The numbers in hostel accommodation has also fallen.

There was a decrease in the number of households accepted by the authorities as being unintentionally homeless - the first such decrease in second and third quarter figures since 1993, with the largest decrease in London.

The most common accepted reasons for homeless application were that parents, relatives or friends were no longer prepared to house them (38 per cent), relationship breakdown (20 per cent) and ending of tenancy agreement (13 per cent), with only two per cent due to mortgage arrears.

Responding to the figures, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced a new £150 million funded package to tackle the problem. There will be £90 million targeted at improving hostels and helping rough sleepers, with £60 million to local authorities to fund initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness - including drug rehabilitation and family mediation.

Mr Prescott said: "What is clear is that most homeless people are not literally homeless or sleeping rough, but are in temporary accommodation, with more than 80 per cent living in good quality housing. But their tenancies are not secure. They may not feel they have any stake in the accommodation or the community because of its temporary nature.

"Since 1997, we have made good progress in reducing the most damaging forms of homelessness. We have ended the scandal of homeless families living long-term in bed and breakfast hotels, and reduced rough sleeping by more than 70 per cent. And new homeless strategies are making a real difference in preventing homelessness. We are now beginning to see the results with the number of people becoming homeless falling this year."

He promised that his new five-year plan will focus on ways to provide affordable, settled housing and said he hoped the money announced today for hostels would help make them attractive to more rough sleepers. He added: "Hostels are not just about beds: they also provide vital health, employment and housing advice services, which can be a first step in helping rough sleepers rebuild their lives."

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