A total of 90 families with children are in temporary accommodation in the North East because they have been classed as homeless, new official figures have revealed.
It's a significant increase on the same period last year, when 60 households with children were homeless.
It means 200 children in the region are homeless and stuck in temporary housing provided by their local council.
And the number of households becoming homeless is increasing. Between January and March this year, 4,230 North East households, with or without children, were assessed as homeless, meaning their local council had a duty to find them accommodation. This is up from 4,150 in the same period last year.
In this period, 750 households became homeless in the North East because they had been renting privately and their tenancy came to an end. Another 560 were forced to leave their home due to domestic abuse.
The North East has a lower rate of homelessness than many other parts of the country.
It's unclear whether the increase in homelessness is connected to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, but there were renewed calls for the Government to extend current emergency rules banning private sector landlords from evicting tenants who are struggling to pay their rent. The ban is due to end on August 23.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Today’s figures show private renters were already badly affected by homelessness when the pandemic was just taking hold.
“Thousands more renters have since had their lives turned upside down as the country descends in economic free-fall.
“With daily news of new job cuts and the eviction ban set to lift on Monday, the coming months are likely to see a devastating homelessness crisis unfold unless the Government steps in to safeguard people’s homes. Some may even face sleeping on the streets as councils struggle to cope with the intense pressure on oversubscribed services.”
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “Since March, the temporary eviction ban has protected thousands of renters from losing their home, allowing them to isolate safely and protect their health during this pandemic.
“What we face now is a backlog of evictions from earlier in the year as the ban lifts and the courts begin processing these previous claims, alongside a potential wave of new evictions as the economic impact of the pandemic starts to bite.”
Homelessness is sometimes confused with rough sleeping, but only a small minority of homeless people are on the streets. Most are in temporary housing provided by their local council, or stay with friends or relatives.
