FIRST PUBLISHED BY: THE GUARDIAN
HOMELESSNESS GROWS
Charities have called for a "rethink of damaging welfare policies" after official figures revealed that levels of homelessness rose in 2011-12, while the number of homes being built fell.
The number of cases in England of homelessness "prevention and relief" – whereby councils secure accommodation for people about to lose the roof over their heads – increased by 5% to 199,000 in the year to March 2012. The worst affected region was the north-east, where there were almost 12 cases per 1,000 households registered by local authorities.
This only will increase your Council Tax bill overtime and at the same time fewer homes appear to be being built, exacerbating the housing crisis. Government statistics show annual housing starts totalled 98,670 in the 12 months to June 2012, down 10% compared with the year before, and this quarter is 24% down on the same quarter last year.
In response, the government published a reporton Thursday entitled Making Every Contact Count, which details the "vital support, such as repossession, tenancy or debt advice and rehousing services that can set many people back on track before they face losing their home". However, Crisis, the homelessness charity, pointed out that more and more people are being forced from their homes as the recession bites and they are unable to meet the rent or mortgage.
Last week the Ministry of Justice released data showing eviction court orders for the last 12 months stood at 100,825. This is up 7,509 or 8% on the 93,316 of the previous 12 months. The charity pointed out that "the report was released on the same day as shocking new statistics reveal: rising evictions, increased cases of councils needing to step in to save people from homelessness, and falling house building".
Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: "This report is a disappointment and a missed opportunity. It contains some worthy ambitions, but lacks detail about how they will be delivered and fails to tackle the key issues. As the government's own statistics make clear, homelessness and evictions are continuing to rise yet new house building is falling.
"We need a housing policy revolution that would guarantee no homeless person is turned away without the help they need, a rethink of damaging welfare polices and a dramatic increase in housing supply."
The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions show that in May the total number of people receiving housing benefit was 5.03 million, up almost 20,000 in a month, with most of the rise accounted for by people in work claiming support.
Jack Dromey, the shadow housing minister, said: "Today's figures show there has been a rapid increase in the number of people seeking help as a result of the Government's failed economic and housing policies – a double-dip recession made in Downing Street and sharp falls in house building.
"The best prevention measure the Government could take to tackle this growing crisis would be to get the economy moving by adopting Labour's plan for a tax on bank bonuses to build thousands of affordable homes and create up to 100,000 jobs for young people."
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