Charity demands more action to help homeless families
- 07 Mar
A homeless charity is demanding that more is done so that homeless families get the help they need.
Government figures have revealed that the amount of homeless families being turned away by councils has risen, and homeless charity Homeless Link wants more to be done to help them.
Department for Communities and Local Government statistics show that whilst there was a 5% drop in the number of families presenting themselves as homeless across England between October and December last year, there was also a 5% drop in the number of families accepted as homeless after asking for help, reports 24dash.
At the end of last year there were 28,020 homeless applications across the country, however the acceptance figure, 12,890, highlighted a 5% drop compared to the year before.
Rick Henderson, Homeless Link's chief executive, said: "The fact that fewer people are approaching their council for help is encouraging. However, with more than half of applications being turned away, we have to ask what happens to those who don't get help. Although we recognise that councils have struggled to meet the demand, there needs to be suitable alternatives in place. If people are not supported to find housing, they may be forced into illegal lets, sofa-surfing or even onto the streets. We can prevent this not only with better advice and support but also with more targeted support to stop people losing their homes in the first place. The most common reason for people becoming homeless is their landlords ending their tenancy, a situation that in many cases could be prevented."
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