Hundreds of homeless or at serious risk Bedford households Bedford News

Hundreds of Bedford households were assessed as homeless or at risk of homelessness last winter, figures show.

Nationally, the number of people identified as homeless has increased slightly, as Shelter says there is a clear risk the problem will get even worse when pandemic measures are lifted.

But a nationwide decrease in the threat of homelessness has come as government and local authorities have sought to ensure that as many people as possible have a roof over their heads during the Covid pandemic. 19.

Between October and December last year, 182 families or individuals in Bedford were identified as homeless by the council, up from 150 the year before, according to figures from the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

58 other households were eligible for counseling as they were at risk of becoming homeless in winter 2020, up from 87 in 2019.

Pandemic measures, including the Everyone In program – where local authorities have worked to provide emergency accommodation to as many people in need as possible – restrict evictions and notice periods, according to the MHCLG. Extended periods for landlords have contributed to significant changes in statutory levels of homelessness in England.

Their latest figures show 33,990 households were identified as homeless last winter in England, an increase of 0.5% from the same period in 2019.

But 28,270 families or individuals were deemed to be at risk of homelessness, a drop of 18.5%.

As the lockdown measures took effect, the Everyone Within campaign contributed to an 8% national increase in the number of households living in temporary accommodation between winter 2019 and the same time of year. last.

There were 266 households in temporary accommodation in Bedford on December 31, 2020 – 19 fewer than the previous year and including 142 children – while at the same time the council assessed at least 28 people or families as sleeping at the street in the area.

Association of Local Governments president James Jamieson said the boards are determined to build on the success of Everyone In.

He added: “It is vital that we build on the lessons learned during the pandemic and ensure that it is not just a one-time emergency response.

Restrictions on private sector evictions have led to a drop by almost half in the number of households at risk of homelessness via the sending of a section 21 notice, which owners must issue before putting end of rental.

There were fewer households in Bedford facing this threat last winter compared to the previous year – from 10 in 2019 to Sept.

Shelter CEO Polly Neate said: “The economic impact of the pandemic has revealed the true cost of decades of failure in building the social houses we need.

“More than 60,000 households were left homeless last winter – even with the ban on evictions.

“In just over a month, the ban on evictions will be lifted, and even more families in difficulty could face the same fate.”

A spokesperson for the MHCLG said the figures showed their actions had helped protect tenants, street sleepers and other vulnerable people from the impact of the pandemic.

He added: “Tenants continue to be protected, including through six-month notice periods and a ban on enforcing evictions except in the most serious circumstances.

“But there is still a long way to go, and we will continue to tackle homelessness and hardship with more than £ 750million in funding this year alone.