TEST Valley Borough Council has spent £368,000 in the last year on temporary homeless housing as people struggle to afford their rent, new figures reveal.

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter said families are being pushed into homelessness and living in "awful" temporary accommodation across the country due to unaffordable rent and lack of social homes.

In comparison to five years ago, where only £71,000 was spent, the Housing and Communities figures show that the borough spent a total of £368,000 on temporary homeless housing in the year to March. 

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Bed and breakfasts accounted for a significant amount of spending with £332,000 paid. And about £17,000 went towards hostels which includes refugees and emergency accommodation.

Across England, an estimated £1.6bn was used by local authorities towards short-term accommodation for people facing homelessness in 2021-22. 

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Homelessness is bad for the economy and it’s even worse for the people whose lives it destroys.

“It defies all logic to shell out over £1.6bn on grim B&Bs and grotty flats, instead of helping people to keep hold of their home in the first place."

She said housing benefit must be unfrozen so people can better pay rent and added the Government must build "truly affordable" social homes to end homelessness.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said it is providing councils with £316m this year to prevent homelessness."

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A borough council spokesperson said: “The increase in our temporary accommodation costs reflects the increase in demand for homelessness support. During the pandemic, the government ordered local authorities to house anyone who was homeless and sleeping rough or living in unsuitable shared accommodation arrangements. This was to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect those who were most vulnerable. While this was a requirement during the height of covid, the number of people who continue to need support remains high. 

The spokesperson added that they have seen a 204 per cent increase in the number of people who need support compared to pre-pandemic. This includes a number of single people who are more likely to remain in temporary accommodation for a longer period."