Homeless face Christmas gloom claims housing charity Shelter

The charity said statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government had revealed 58 households were accepted as homeless by City of York Council in the last quarter.

This was an increase of 57 per cent from 37 households in the previous quarter, and reflected a national trend which saw homeless acceptances across the whole of England increasing by 17 per cent to 11, 840. The charity claimed 76 households were set to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.

Chief executive Campbell Robb said someone in Britain faced the nightmare of losing their home every two minutes, and so it was really worrying to see the rise.

He said Shelter was urging anyone struggling with their housing costs to urgently seek advice by calling Shelter’s free helpline on 0808 800 4444 or visiting www.shelter.org.uk.

Tom Brittain, City of York Council’s housing operations manager, said that in the last six years, York had seen the number of people in temporary accommodation reduce year on year, but the number of people coming to the authority because they were homeless fluctuated from one quarter to the next.

“While these acceptances may have increased in the last quarter, often due to the economic climate, the underlying trend has been a dramatic reduction in the level of acceptances,” he said.

“In 2005/06 the acceptances were 433; in 2009/10 they were 130. At the end of the last quarter, 76 households were in temporary accommodation compared with 242 in 2004 – a reduction of over 65 per cent. This has been achieved through various preventative measures we have taken to avoid households becoming homeless, such as our YorHome private lettings scheme which helps people find private rented accommodation and our Housing Options Service.

“This service is for anyone renting private or social housing and, for residents with mortgage worries, we can advise on mortgage rescue schemes available.”