HOMELESSNESS is a ‘growing problem’ across Westmorland and Furness.

A presentation prepared for the communities and environment scrutiny committee for Westmorland and Furness Council says the cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic has ‘exacerbated’ the issue.

Council documents say the local authority has achieved some successes in preventing homelessness by taking ‘proactive measures’ and by seeking ‘innovative’ accommodation solutions.

The report says: “Homelessness is a growing problem across Westmorland and Furness, exacerbated by the pandemic, and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“In addition, the supply of affordable housing in both the private rented and social rented sectors has significantly declined in the last three years.”

The presentation says there has been ‘sharp rises’ in the number of homeless assessments, and there has been an increase in the use of temporary accommodation for homeless households.

It adds: “The use and cost of temporary accommodation is likely to continue to rise, as more households are threatened with homelessness and a reduced supply of ‘move-on’ accommodation in both the private and social rented sectors.”

According to the presentation, potential approaches to the challenge include bringing together homelessness prevention and support services across Westmorland and Furness to tackle homelessness, using a range of prevention tools, best practice, and interventions.

Members of the communities and environment scrutiny committee will discuss the report when they meet on October 28 at Kendal Town Hall.