Hillingdon: Homelessness is spiralling up as latest figures show that there are now 1,942 households in temporary accommodation.
The 10 per cent increase has caused a predicted council overspend of £252,470 for 2001/02 and an estimated bill of up to £1.25 million for 2002/03.
A Hillingdon Council spokeswoman said: "The council aims to combat homelessness through a variety of initiatives. We aim to use our planning powers to ensure that when there is a new development of 25 or more homes, 25 per cent of the development will provide homes to be rented to council/housing association tenants.
"We also aim to bring empty homes back into use and are working with the government's bed and breakfast unit, which aims to find alternatives to bed and breakfast accommodation."
The most significant cause of homelessness are evictions by family and friends, followed by domestic violence and eviction from rented accommodation.
Call the Housing Advice Centre on 01895 250381.
December 6, 2001 14:01
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