LONDON'S HOMELESS FAMILIES SOAR BY 37% IN 5 YEARS

10.37.13am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 16th May 2005

New figures revealed today by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats show that the number of homeless households in the capital has rocketed by more than 37% in the last five years.

Official figures, revealed in Mayoral answers to Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson, Dee Doocey, show the number of recorded homeless families has risen by over 18,000 from 48,867 in December 2000 to 66,977 in December 2004 - an increase of 37.1%.

Boroughs with the highest increase of homeless households:-

· Havering with a 450% increase

· Bexley with 140% increase

· Barking with a 135% increase

· Bromley with 113% increase

· Waltham Forest with a 113% increase

Only five out of 33 London Boroughs recorded a reduction in homelessness numbers.

Dee Doocey said:-

"It is scandalous that that number of homeless families has swollen by 18,000 in just five years. Having permanent and decent shelter is the most basic of human rights.

"Even these figures are only the tip of the homelessness iceberg. They ignore single adults or the so-called 'hidden homeless' who have no certainty about where they will sleep."

"The huge increase in homelessness leads to long term social problems including poor health and loss of education. If we can put a man on the moon then why are ministers unable to bring the 100,000 empty homes in London back into use for those who need them most?

"Ministers must not lose sight of the fact that being homelessness is more than being roofless. The number of people in temporary accommodation has risen to intolerable levels and it is now time that the government addressed this trend with as much vigour as it tackled the rough sleeper problem."

ENDS

Notes to editor

The figures are taken from Mayoral Answer 754 / 2005

Dee Doocey

The GLA's latest homelessness bulletin (Nov/Dec 2004) reveals that the number of homeless households across London is over 67,000. Please can you break this number down on a Borough by Borough basis and provide the same figures for the Nov/Dec for the last four years.

Borough Dec '00 Dec '04 2000 - 2004 % change

Havering 147 809 450%

Bexley 179 429 140%

Barking 258 607 135%

Bromley 555 1,183 113%

Waltham Forest 834 1,773 113%

Newham 3,029 5,801 91.5%

Redbridge 1,230 2,333 89.7%

Wandsworth 893 1,681 88.2%

Tower Hamlets 1,650 3,012 82.5%

Lewisham 1,389 2,456 76.8%

Lambeth 1,735 2,904 67.4%

Hammersmith 1,289 1,921 49%

Kingston 518 768 48.3%

Greenwich 812 1,168 43.8%

Westminster 2,514 3,536 40.7%

Enfield 2,261 3,179 40.6%

Kensington 861 1,148 33.3%

Camden 1,851 2,447 32.2%

Brent 3,632 4,550 25.3%

Croydon 2,950 3,668 24.3%

Hounslow 1,132 1,397 23.4%

Ealing 2,141 2,544 18.8%

Barnet 2,222 2,579 16.1%

Haringey 4,496 5,214 16%

Islington 1,400 1,531 9.4%

Sutton 593 642 8.3%

Hillingdon 1,755 1,861 6%

Richmond 508 530 4.3%

Hackney 2,497 2,468 -0.1%

Merton 192 182 -5.2%

Southwark 1,522 1,293 -15%

Harrow 1,771 1,328 -25%

Corporation 51 35 -31.4%

Total 48,867 66,977 37.1%

Homeless households are, people with dependent children; women who are pregnant or single people who are vulnerable, in that they cannot fend for themselves, who are in temp accommodation waiting for a council/housing association to provide them with permanent homes.

Not included - single people, rough sleepers, sofa surfers.