Call for ‘urgent action’ as number of homeless in region hits 2,600

THE NUMBER of people recorded as homeless in Yorkshire and the Humber has reached 2,654, new figures from Shelter reveal today.

Shelter’s extensive analysis of official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures shows the number of homeless people in the region has increased by 16 per cent since 2016 when the charity first published its landmark annual report.

For the first time, the charity’s review of government data has also exposed that almost 21,600 people in Yorkshire and the Humber were threatened with homelessness in the last year.

Despite being the most comprehensive overview of homelessness in the country, it is widely known that a lot of homelessness goes undocumented, including ‘sofa surfing’ and some rough sleeping.

This means the true level of homelessness will be even higher than today’s count. Shelter is warning that unless the new government takes urgent action to address the dire lack of social homes at the crux of this emergency, the situation is likely to get worse.

Chief executive Polly Neate said: “This is the grim truth our new Government must confront and do something radical to change.

“Until the Government acts to stem this crisis, the work of our frontline advisers remains critical. With the public’s support we will do everything we can to help people find a safe and stable place to live – no matter how long it takes.”

The charity is warning the new Government must take “urgent” action to address the “dire lack of social homes at the crux of this emergency, before the situation is likely to get worse”.

Overall, the number of homeless people in England has risen to 280,000, an increase of 23,000 since 2016, a new study has found.

In a regional breakdown of homelessness, the review found that London comes out worst with one in 52 people now homeless in the capital.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was supporting councils to reduce the numbers of people in temporary accommodation.

He added: “(We’re) giving £1.2bn to tackle all types of homelessness.”