Yahoo News Councils in UK struggle to house homeless despite Government calls to accommodate them during pandemic
Homeless people seeking accommodation have been turned away by local councils for failing to meet complicated bureaucratic requirements, a London charity has said.
According to Glass Door, others have been waiting for days on the streets due to a backlog in accommodation.
The news comes after the Government gave local councils 48 hours to house 100 per cent of England’s rough sleepers in efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. That deadline passed last Sunday.
“Many of them are still being turned away because they couldn't provide a five-year local housing history,” said Melissa Kerschen, the charity’s Communications Manager.
“If you have no home, these requirements can seem like cruel catch-22 at the best of times. During a public health epidemic, it’s frankly irresponsible.”
Neither the Local Government Association nor the Ministry of Housing could offer up-to-date figures as to how many people have or have not been housed at the time of publishing.
But the LGA said the “vast majority” were now in temporary accommodation.
“At this time, it’s not an issue of funding,” said councillor David Renard from the LGA, referring to a 3.2 million pounds allocated by the government for emergency housing during lockdown.
“The Secretary of State made it very clear that money should not be an obstacle.”
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