Dramatic rise in homelessness in East Lancashire

More than 2,600 people applied for emergency housing help in East Lancashire this year.

In Blackburn with Darwen alone, 425 more people said they had no where to live than year.

And in Pendle, the council said it expected the number of people it helped to double this year while rises have also been recorded in Burnley and Rossendale.

Homelessness charities said mounting debts, cuts and spiralling costs had resulted in a large increase in requests for urgent help.

And bosses at Nightsafe said it has had to ‘turn people away’ due to the numbers contacting them.

Dorothy McGregor, founder of Accrington-based Maundy Grange, said the charity was being ‘overwhelmed’ with requests for help from people at risk of losing their homes or already homeless.

She said: “It is exceptionally busy at the moment.

Six months ago we were helping 150 people a day – now we are seeing 200 a day.

“It is on the increase and people are needing more help with food parcels and debt. Everything is mounting up.”

Helen Bishop, deputy manager of Maundy Grange, which helps people across East Lancashire, said she was seeing a lot more inquiries from people trying to hold on to their homes.

She said: “Our debt advice counsellors are being kept extremely busy. Self employed people in particular seem to be falling on hard times and they are afraid of being made homeless.

“A lot more food parcels are going out to people who have had their benefits cut or are sleeping on couches.

“There are misunderstandings about the kind of people we help. If people come to the centre and have a look around they will find people from all walks of life.

“A lot have just fallen on hard times for many different reasons and are trying to live as normal a life as they can.”

Paula Kaniuk, Nightsafe chief executive, said: “We have had to turn people away. We normally shelter 380 people a year and 350-400 young people use our other services. We are hoping to reach more young people this year and there is an increasing demand for our services.

“Axing the Education Maintenance Allowance grant has had an effect. Young people who would have stayed at home now have nowhere to go because they cannot pay their way.

“I would say there is a rise of about 20 per cent in people seeking our help.”

Dean Jackson, from Clayton-le-Moors, was homeless for five years.

The 25-year-old, who is originally from Wythenshawe, said: “I had been struggling to find work and couldn’t pay my rent.

“Then I started sleeping on people’s sofas. When I arrived here in July someone told me to go to Maundy Grange and in just a few months, everything changed.

“They helped me get my own bedsit, so I now have an address and I can look for work. I have started doing volunteer work too, to help boost my CV.

“For years I felt like I wasn’t able to accomplish anything but Maundy Grange help you through the system. I get help with my paperwork here and really good advice. I have seen it happen to a lot of other people too. They really change lives here.”

Nina Morrow, 47, lives in Accrington and is originally from Longridge. She said: “For many years I worked in the caring service at Whittingham Hospital in occupational therapy. And then I did respite care for Crossroads.

“I got myself into financial difficulties and couldn’t afford to fix my car, which led to my losing my job. I had become ill with depression and anxiety which made it hard to get another.

“Without Maundy Grange I don’t know how I would have survived. I have worked since I was 16 and I never expected this to happen to me.”

In Blackburn with Darwen 1,398 applications were made to the council for emergency housing, 201 in Burnley, 251 in Hyndburn, 95 in Pendle and 603 in Rossendale.

No applications were made in the Ribble Valley.

Wayne Forrest, housing needs manager at Pendle Council, said: “Over the last five years, the council has worked hard to prevent homelessness where possible and as a result, actual homeless applications dropped from 159 in 2007/08 to just 85 in 2010/2011, despite a rise in general inquiries. However, although work to prevent homelessness continues, 95 homelessness applications have already been received to date with an estimated turn out of 190 for the full year.

“Whilst there does not appear to be a specific reason for this rise, the prolonged economic difficulties appear to be a major contributing factor.”

The Bishop of Burnley, the Right Reverend John Goddard, said that efforts across parishes in East Lancashire had been stepped up to help those in need, including provision of food parcels and financial advice sessions.

He said: “Traditionally we might think of young people who have been excluded from their homes, or those many refer to as ‘tramps’, but now homelessness touches all sorts of people across a wide spread of society.

“I am most worried about the young people this affects - mainly teenagers who have experienced a marriage breakdown and who are sadly not wanted. The young are very vulnerable on our streets.”