THE average age of 11 homeless people who died in York in 2017 was about 44 years old, councillors were told at a meeting.

Council officers said this is very similar to the national life expectancy for homeless people of 47 years, and includes people who died in supported accommodation.

Tom Brittain, assistant director of housing at City of York Council, said thanks to new initiatives the number of people sleeping rough in the city dropped from 29 in 2017 to nine in 2018 and there is a “strong commitment” to reducing rough sleeping in the city.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday evening, he said: “The issues of homelessness are complex and we are constantly looking at new ways in which we can deliver services and tailor them in a specific way. Each rough sleeper has their own complex issues and we need to try and personalise the service to those people. We’re constantly looking to find new ways in which we can encourage people to come into services.”

Tim Carroll, homelessness manager at the council, added that some people say they do not feel safe in the supported accommodation offered, but added: “The accommodation is staffed 24/7. For me, the choice to sleep rough on the streets - it’s a lot safer in the hostels than on Coney Street.”

Cllr Chris Steward called for “tangible outcomes” rather than further meetings and asked what more could be done to help the council’s homeless team.

He said: “The one thing I got asked more than anything else when I was council leader was 'why doesn’t the council do something for the homeless?' Not 'why don’t they do more, why doesn’t the council do something?' Because the perception out there is that we do absolutely nothing. The council actually does an incredible amount.”

But Cllr Kallum Taylor said: “The whole reason we are having this conversation is because of those deaths and the people at the sharp end. I would like to see a concerted effort on tackling that 1.8 per cent [of people in homeless accommodation who died in 2017].”

Councillors praised the work of volunteers at the Yes Below Zero project, which provides shelter in winter.