LGA responds to Shelter research showing 274,000 now homeless

Responding to new research by Shelter showing more than 274,000 people are homeless in England right now, including 126,000 children, Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesperson, said:

“These figures should be a wake-up call to the need for a cross-departmental government plan to tackle homelessness with long-term investment in prevention and services to support economically vulnerable people and households to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

“Looking ahead we need to get to grips with addressing the severe housing shortage the nation faces.

“By giving councils the powers and resources to build 100,000 social homes for rent a year, we can significantly reduce housing waiting lists and provide households with a secure and suitable home.

“We should also look at how tenants can access a more secure and affordable private rented sector, to help keep people in their homes.”