Councils blame Government cuts for homeless ‘scandal’

Councils have warned that it is becoming “tougher” to offer homeless people accommodation as a result of Government cuts and a shortage of affordable housing.

The Local Government Association’s comments came after research by homelessness charity Crisis indicated that people with nowhere else to go were being turned away by councils and forced to sleep on the streets.

In an undercover investigation, Crisis tested the service offered by 16 local authorities across England and found that on more than half the occasions one of their “mystery shoppers” asked for help they received little or no support.

Jon Sparkes, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Life on the streets is devastating and no-one should have to go through it.

“Yet even in the 21st century, homeless people who ask their council for help are being turned away to sleep on the streets – cold, desperate and forgotten.

“This is nothing short of a scandal.

“On top of the human cost, it is incredibly expensive for society, which has to pick up the pieces.

“Everyone deserves a second chance, yet too often the door is slammed in people’s faces, leaving them with nowhere else to turn.”

The charity used eight actors with experience of homelessness as part of their investigation and found that in 50 of the 87 visits to councils they received little or no help.

Crisis said the report showed that many homeless people were given little support because they were not considered a priority case – meaning the council had no legal duty to house them.

The report said: “The characters played by the mystery shoppers were in crisis situations and urgently needed help.

“Yet in over half of the visits, local authorities turned them away with little or no support, therefore leaving them in very vulnerable situations and the prospect of sleeping on the streets.

“The consequences of local authorities failing to intervene early can be devastating and can trap people in homelessness for a far longer time – contributing significantly to the worsening or development of support needs and forcing homeless people to engage in risk-taking behaviours to survive.”

Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association’s environment, economy, housing and transport board, said: “It is a tragedy when anyone becomes homeless and councils work hard to prevent homelessness occurring in the first place.

“However, where homelessness does take place, councils have an important role to treat people who need their help with respect and to place them into secure, affordable accommodation.

“The ability of councils to do this is only getting tougher as a result of 40% cuts to council budgets over the lifetime of this Parliament and a shortage of affordable housing.

“The council housing waiting list has increased by a third over the last 10 years to 1.7 million households and overall there were just 112,000 homes built in England in 2013.

“It is in everyone’s interest to remove unnecessary barriers which prevent homes being made available to those people who desperately need them.

“Councils are keen to play their part in this and could go further and faster to support the development of badly needed new homes if government gave councils greater financial flexibility.”

Crisis is launching a public petition and campaign – No One Turned Away – calling for action from the main political parties so that all homeless people can get the help they need.

Homelessness charity Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: “It’s shocking to think that anyone who loses their home after a job loss or fleeing domestic violence would have the door shut on them when they ask for help.

“But tragically we know from our own frontline staff that this is fast becoming a sad reality not only for single people but many homeless families across the country too.

“As councils continue to feel the squeeze on their finances, and the number of affordable homes dwindles, many are being forced to make even tougher decisions on who they can and can’t help.

“Right now, councils need more realistic budgets to make sure that every homeless person or family who needs help can get it.

“And in the long-run, if we want to end homelessness for good, politicians have to commit to building the genuinely affordable homes that we desperately need.”

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “The charity Crisis has had £13 million as a part of the Government’s funding to prevent and tackle homelessness.

“This Government’s commitment is shown by it making over £500 million available to help the most vulnerable in society and to help people find homes rather than sleeping on the street.

“We also continue to support the ‘No Second Night Out’ and ‘Streetlink’ initiatives to ensure anyone sleeping rough is found and quickly offered help to get back on their feet. “

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