LGA responds to Shelter report on homeless children

Responding to Shelter’s report on homeless children, Cllr Judith Blake, the Local Government Association’s Housing spokesperson, said:

“It’s heart-breaking to think of any child experiencing homelessness, especially at Christmas, which is why councils are focused on trying to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.  

“On average, councils are having to house the equivalent of an extra secondary school’s worth of homeless children in temporary accommodation every month. It’s clear the current situation is unsustainable for councils, and disruptive for families.

“While the Government’s indication that it will explore ways to enable councils to build more homes is encouraging, these new homes can’t appear overnight, and the demand is urgent.

“Councils are determined to tackle homelessness, but we now need Government to support this local effort. The Government could do this by adapting welfare reforms to ensure housing remains affordable for low-income families and allowing all councils, across the country, to borrow to build new homes as part of the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.”