Hundreds of households with children threatened with homelessness in Northamptonshire, government figures reveal

Hundreds of households with children were threatened with homelessness in West Northamptonshire last year, new figures show.

Homeless charity Crisis said the rise in families being forced from their homes across England is “deeply worrying”.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show 541 households with children were owed a prevention duty in Northamptonshire in 2021-22.

This means the household has been threatened with homelessness and is eligible for local council support.

Another 532 households — 313 in West Northamptonshire and 219 in North Northamptonshire — were owed a relief duty in the year to March, meaning they are already homeless and authorities must take reasonable steps to help the applicant to secure accommodation for at least six months.

A West Northamptonshire Council report has highlighted increasing demand for help from the homeless putting pressure on the authority’s budget as it attempts to deal with a predicted £7.6 million overspend in the current financial year.

Nationally, 56,340 households with children were owed a prevention duty in 2021-22 – up by 24 percent from 45,590 the year before.

Similarly, the number of relief duties owed to households with children rose from 30,080 to 36,960.

Conservatives pledged in their 2019 election manifesto to end homelessness by 2024.

Overall, the number of households owed a prevention duty rose from 119,400 in 2020-21 to 133,450 in 2020-21, while the number of relief duties fell from 149,160 to 144,670.

Kiran Ramchandani, director of policy and external affairs at Crisis, said: “The intense cost of living pressures and a severe lack of affordable housing mean many households with children will be forced into temporary accommodation — and we know how damaging a long-term stay can be, especially for children and young people.”

Ms Ramchandani urged the government to increase housing benefits in the autumn budget and set out a clear plan to provide affordable homes.

“Only this action can protect thousands more families from homelessness in the coming months,” she added.

Ms Ramchandani also highlighted that it is vital for those fleeing domestic abuse cases to have a safe place to call home.

Domestic abuse pushed an increasing number of people towards homelessness, with some 11,330 of the 56,340 households with children owed a relief duty across the country caused by domestic abuse.

This was a rise of 18 percent from the year before and 36 percent from 2019-20, before the coronavirus pandemic.

A further 5,730 prevention duties were owed due to domestic abuse in 2021-22.

In West Northamptonshire, 18 domestic abuse cases led to prevention duties, while 119 relief duties were owed. In the North, 21 domestic abuse cases led to prevention duties and 71 relief duties were owed.

A DLUHC spokesperson said it is giving councils £316 million to “ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads”.

They added: “Over half a million households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018 through the Homelessness Reduction Act.”