Homelessness Charity, Shelter England, has published figures this week showing that Milton Keynes has over 2,300 people homeless and living either in temporary accommodation or on the streets. Shelter names Milton Keynes as the second worst area in the South East for homelessness with 1 in every 110 people homeless. But highlights this could be an under-estimate.

Council Leader Pete Marland described the homelessness position in Milton Keynes as damning upon a Government that refuses to free the Council to build homes.

Cllr Marland said, “This latest  report from Shelter highlights that several thousand people are homeless in Milton Keynes. This week we have over 270 households in temporary accommodation and I suspect this may grow with interest rates starting to rise. If anything the report under-estimates the scale of people sleeping on the streets or sleeping on the floor in friends’ houses. It is a stark indictment of a Government that refuses to act and of two Tory MPs who refuse to back Council demands to free the Council to build new homes.”     

Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Housing Cllr Nigel Long added, “Milton Keynes Council is building 200 new council houses, but it is not enough. We need thousands. We have also increased support for rough sleepers. But fundamentally the only real answer is to build truly affordable new housing.”

What is clear is that Milton Keynes is in the top 50 worst areas in the Country for homelessness. In the South East of England only Brighton has a higher level of homelessness.

Cllr Marland concluded, “The Council has been working to improve its support for rough sleepers and to help the 720+ households in temporary accommodation. But ultimately only a change in Government policy that frees up Milton Keynes to invest will start to solve the problem.”   

The Shelter press release can be found at:

http://media.shelter.org.uk/press_releases/articles/more_than_300,000_people_in_britain_homeless_today