Newcastle Borough Council is allocating more money to help families and individuals who find themselves homeless.

Since April, the authority has helped 37 separate families, five couples and 87 individuals.

Newcastle Borough Council have approved a new temporary accommodation policy to meet the needs that the borough is currently facing. Temporary accommodation includes both social and private rented supported housing, hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation.

Last year the authority budgeted £600,000 to support people in temporary accommodation, however they spent £850,000 – creating a shortfall of £250,000. Next year the council is adding an additional £450,000, a total of over one million pounds to support people and families who find themselves homeless.

Newcastle Borough Council has approved a new temporary accommodation policy to meet the needs that the borough is currently facing (LDRS).

The options for temporary accommodation in Newcastle are limited as the council does not have any accommodation and therefore relies on other providers which can be costly. Newcastle Housing Advice team delivers the statutory homelessness duties the council need to provide.

A total of £262,000 was spent on bed and breakfasts which are often more expensive than supported accommodation. The council has a statutory obligation to help homeless people and the report to cabinet notes that if the temporary accommodation policy is not updated there is a risk the provision of temporary accommodation can not meet the rising demand and additional bed and breakfast could be required.

Since 2021 there has been year on year increases in homeless tonight presentations with 210 presentations in the past six months. There have also been a record homeless now out of hours call, in the past six months there has been 128 calls; compared to the 116 for all of 2021/22.

Since 2021 there has been year on year increases of homelessless in the area (LDRS).

Gill Heesom, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's Cabinet member for Community Safety and Wellbeing, said: "One of the biggest current pressures is increasing demand by families seeking short-term help after becoming homeless. Last year we set aside £600,000 but actually spent £850,000 on supporting families this way, so next year we're allocating an additional £450,000 to help people when they're most vulnerable.

"For example, providing short-term accommodation for a family of four could cost in the region of £900 a week, while we can only reclaim £140 from the Department of Work and Pensions. We might to look after a family for up to eight weeks while they get on their feet, which means we're making up a shortfall of £760 a week, or more than £6,000 for the two months – and that's just one family.

"We accept our duty to help those who are vulnerable, but the increasing demand – and the way the system is constructed – is proving a heavy financial burden and there's no doubt we will need support from central Government."

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