Homeless figures down - but caution urged

Monday, 13 June 2005 12:00 AM

The number people becoming homeless has fallen by 20 per cent, according to the latest official figures.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister revealed a 20 per cent drop in the first quarter of 2005, on the same period last year, of the number of people councils accepted as homeless.

The Government has put the fall down to successful prevention policies, but homelessness charity Shelter said that the figures needed to be treated with caution.

It suggested that council workers were being pressured not to categorise individuals as homeless.

But Housing Minister Yvette Cooper warmly welcomed the figures, saying: "This is very welcome progress. It hasn't happened by accident. New local strategies and £200 million of investment in preventing homelessness are making a real difference. Simple things like lending families the money for the rent deposit they need can stop them being stuck without a home."

Ms Cooper added that progress had also been made to cut rough sleeping and the use of B&B accommodation, "but we need to keep up the progress on homelessness and get families who are in temporary accommodation into a longer term home. That includes building more social housing and homes for shared ownership, as well as prevention."

But Shelter said that the figures should be taken with a "health warning".

Sixty-three per cent of council workers interviewed for a survey in its magazine Roof said that they felt under pressure to accept less people as homeless.

Director Adam Sampson said: "While we welcome the Government and local authorities' renewed efforts to tackle homelessness, unfortunately we have to reserve applause on today's figures until we can be sure that a fall in homelessness is coming about because those in need are being given better housing solutions."

He added: "A nationwide lack of social housing means the only real option open to councils is to 'prevent' homelessness. In its best form, which we support whole-heartedly, this can mean working with people at risk to ensure they do not fall into the trap of homelessness - however, many staff themselves have expressed reservations that they are effectively bending the law in order to avoid accepting people as homeless."

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