Responding to the homelessness study published by Crisis and the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Cllr Martin Tett, Housing spokesman
at the Local Government Association, said:
“This survey illustrates the challenge facing councils as they
try and cope with the nation’s growing homelessness
crisis. Faced with increasing demand, funding cuts, falling
social housing and wide-ranging welfare reforms, it is
increasingly difficult for councils to find emergency care and
accommodation for all homeless people, particularly those who are
young, vulnerable, or with families.
“The recent Housing White Paper included some proposals that show
government is starting to listen to councils on how to boost
housing supply and increase affordability but it lacked the
substantive measures needed to spark a renaissance in council
housebuilding. As a third of new homelessness cases are triggered
by the ending of an assured shorthold tenancy, this is crucial to
keeping rents low and preventing homelessness.
“Legislative change alone will not resolve
homelessness. Councils desperately need the powers and
access to funding to resume their historic role as a major
builder of affordable homes. This means being able to borrow to
invest in housing and to keep 100 per cent of the receipts
from any homes they sell to replace them and reinvest in building
genuinely affordable homes.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
- · The
number of affordable homes built in 2015/16 fell by 52 per cent
and was the lowest number in 24 years. Just 6,554 social rented
homes were built in the same year.
- · The number
of households local authorities have been forced to place in
temporary accommodation rise by 50 per cent since 2010. This
crisis is spreading nationwide. Since 2010, the use of temporary
accommodation has gone up 44 per cent in London and 67 per cent
across the rest of England. A chronic shortage of affordable
housing is forcing councils to spend more than £2 million a day
on temporary accommodation for homeless families, analysis by the Local
Government Association has revealed.
- · In
1977, there were 5 million council homes, now there are 1.6
million. Just one in 10 of all households live in council
housing, compared with a third in 1977. This compares with a
doubling of households in more expensive privately rented homes,
from 2.2 million in 1977 to 4.5 million now.
