Feature: ‘Catastrophic’ crisis hits the homeless

Homelessness charity Shelter has warned that "catastrophic" numbers of people have been shunted onto the streets or trapped in temporary housing, in a housing crisis overlooked in favour of the UK's impending departure from the European Union.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government statistics show 169 families and couples in Colchester lived in bed and breakfasts, hostels and other types of temporary accommodation during the first three months of this year – including 250 children.

This means 2.1 households in every 10,000 were placed in temporary housing.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "While the housing crisis is out of the spotlight, families with young children are trapped in grim temporary accommodation like bed and breakfasts and shipping containers, and young people feel the damaging effects of growing up in a housing emergency.

"Cripplingly expensive private rents, frozen housing benefits, and lengthy waiting lists for social homes are pushing people to the sharp edge of a housing emergency which won’t go away without genuinely affordable homes.

"The Government must invest in a new generation of social homes – three million more in 20 years – if they are to pull hundreds of thousands of people out of homelessness.”

The figures represent the first full year of data since the Homelessness Reduction Act came into force in April last year.

Since then, there are 45 more households in Colchester in temporary accommodation.

Over the period, 72 households were secured accommodation for six months or more and were no longer threatened with homelessness.

Across England, the number of families and couples in temporary housing has reached its highest level since 2007.

Colchester Borough Council said the Homelessness Reduction Act has brought a "positive change" to the way in which homelessness is managed.

A spokesman said: “What was previously a test of priority need and homelessness has changed, and our obligation has increased to a broader scope of people with more time to establish advice and assistance to prevent homelessness occurring.

“Now that we are obliged to offer accommodation to more people, the pressure on an already-limited supply of affordable accommodation has increased

“In Colchester, we had almost eliminated use of B&B accommodation, but the pressure that we now face having to prevent or relieve homelessness through a time-limited stay in accommodation has led to increasing use of B&B and short-term accommodation.

“This is disappointing, but inevitable, as options for short term accommodation are both expensive and in short supply.

“We have developed solutions with local landlords through provision of incentive payments and have set up a matching service to help homeless people find suitable lodgings.

“Rather than develop more temporary accommodation hostels, we are investing in acquiring family homes, which we can use to provide more stable homes for local families.

“We are working directly with families and people who are homeless, to help strengthen their skills to manage a home and prevent future homelessness.

“Intervention with support at a time of crisis can prevent homelessness and the disruption of having to move home.

“Our statistics show that we have been able to help and advise more people than before, with a high proportion of those who approach us for help being supported to stay in their home or find a suitable alternative without spending long periods of time in temporary accommodation.”

The council said the increase in the use of emergency accommodation mainly comes from those who approach the council for assistance on the day that they become homeless.

It also added that the supply of social rented homes in Colchester is not enough to meet demand and, where it does have a duty to house someone, it will discharge its duty by offering an assessed private rented home.

He added: “The under-estimated consequence of the Act appears to be the demand for temporary accommodation for the required 56 days, which is intended to give time and opportunity to relieve the situation and find an alternative.

“In Colchester, where rents are high and generally not affordable to those who approach us for assistance, this leaves few options and many with expectations of housing that we are not able to deliver.

“There is no evidence to suggest more people are sleeping rough in Colchester since the introduction of the Act.

“Thanks to intense efforts by the council, Colchester Borough Homes and other community partners to engage with and support rough sleepers into secure accommodation, numbers have fallen steadily from 20 in November 2017 to seven in May this year.”

Paul Honeywood, Tendring Council's cabinet member for housing, said comparing 2017/18 to 2018/19 there were 68 more temporary accommodation placements and 396 more homelessness applications in 18/19, an increase to be expected in line with the increased responsibility placed on councils by the new legislation.

“We have seen a continuing rise in homelessness applications and a reduction in the availability of affordable privately rented accommodation in the district, which has meant a short-term increase in our use of temporary accommodation before moving people relatively quickly into a more secure-tenancy,” he said.

“We are taking several steps to tackle this issue in the medium-term, developing a new housing strategy and looking to increase our council housing stock.”

The Government recently announced £422 million will be spent tackling homelessness and rough sleeping next year.

Homelessness minister Luke Hall said "progress is being made".

He added: "The Act is helping people earlier so they are not having to experience homelessness in the first place.

"There is still more to do though, which is why we have committed a record investment to ending homelessness and rough sleeping for good.

"This vital funding will ensure progress continues to be made, with people given the help they need to turn their lives around."