According to a recent Cambridge News article, the homelessness crisis is only getting worse in Cambridge as new figures showed cases in the city could double this year.
Cllr Kevin Price, the city council’s executive councillor for housing, confirmed that the council had received 213 homelessness applications in the first six months of this year. And in the whole of 2014/15 the council dealt with just 262 applications, which was a record high at the time.
Price explained: “Homeless applications have been rising since 2010 but we have always been clear that the (government’s) punitive welfare policy changes would push more people out of their homes and we expect further rises, including for young people with the withdrawal of housing benefit from the under 23s.”
“We are doing the best we can to help and support them but whilst we are having to bear the costs, the causes are beyond our control,” Priced added.
“Cambridge is not alone in this crisis,” said Lee Dribben, CEO for The Ashley Foundation, based in Blackpool, Lancashire.
“Councils up and down the country are under tremendous pressure to provide assistance, but they face budget cuts and an increasing demand for support,” Dribben continued.
“Blackpool Council, like most councils offer information and direction, but it’s mainly up to privately run charities, like The Ashley Foundation, to provide the answers,” Dribben explained.
“The Ashley Foundation tirelessly works to help its clients rebuild relationships with family or friends, stay in education, take up employment and training opportunities and in some cases, deal with drug and alcohol or mental health problems, which is as important in tackling homelessness as is securing a roof over their head,” Dribben added.
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The Ashley Foundation (TAF) is a registered homeless charity, established in 1997 for the purpose of providing accommodation and support to ‘homeless individuals in need’. Committed to treating individuals with dignity and respect, TAF is determined to offer the opportunity and the support necessary to encourage and enable personal growth and self-development. There are many and varied reasons why people become homeless. Relationship breakdown, domestic violence, young people asked to leave home, people with drug and alcohol or mental health issues who are unable to sustain an independent lifestyle and more recently due to recession, where someone might lose their job and are then are unable to pay their mortgage or rent, the list goes on and on. Helping someone to rebuild relationships with family or friends, stay in education, take up employment and training opportunities or deal with their drug and alcohol or mental health problem is as much about tackling homelessness as is securing a roof over their head. For more information visit https://www.theashleyfoundation.org.uk.
