Homeless figures shock for Rother

Parental eviction is blamed.

Efforts are now being made through schools to offer guidance to younger children in an attempt to head off problems.

A meeting of experts discussed three main areas which trigger homelessness.

These also include domestic violence and landlord eviction. But the problem of teenagers being ousted from home has become a serious issue for the council.

It has triggered a Homeless Strategy, a government-backed initiative.

Housing policy and development manager Alison Dryden said: "Legally we have to take details of all homeless applications, and this in itself is a very invasive process

"It's not a very nice situation for anyone to be in.

"However, while it is our duty to give advice we are not automatically able to accept every application, and we simply do not have the legislative clout to provide a home to everyone who walks through the door."

She said the strategy aims to prevent people being made homeless before it gets to that stage '“ a prevention rather than a cure.

"Based on our review of services and homelessness in the community and the startling statistics that were revealed, we need to tackle the triggers of homelessness and provide early intervention options."

She said: "It is our statutory duty to provide some type of accommodation for homeless 16-17-year-olds, and in 2006 realised that this was becoming a problem, and this is one of the initiatives we are working on.

"We feel that young people of this age are best placed with their family and more often than not the situation they are in could have been prevented.

"They may have been evicted from the family home for something within their control, such as not obeying house rules, and we need to educate people at an early stage that this is preventable."

Working alongside Hastings and Rother Mediation Service Alison said they help the people involved to try to overcome their problems, initially by talking to the person concerned and their families separately, eventually bringing them together to discuss the situation.

A partnership between Rother District Council's Housing Department, Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust and Bexhill High School has been formed to deliver a new project which aims to provide students with the information to make sound decisions and to help them examine their own behaviour from another persons point of view.

Rother has also devised an initiative - The Sanctuary Project - for people made homeless due to domestic violence

Alison Dryden said: "One of the reasons homelessness was so high for victims of domestic violence in the past is that they felt that the safest thing to do was to flee their home, and that their only option was to leave the area.

"This can result in children being uprooted from school and victims loosing their network of friends and family.

"Our aim is to give victims the support they need to make it possible for them to remain in their own homes and feel safe, to provide a long-term solution to improve the victim's quality of life."

Landlord evictions were also at high levels through tenant debt.

The Citizens Advice Bureau was active in trying to tackle the causes of debt.

The Rother Community Help Point, at Amherst Road is where Rother Housing department is now based, and initial enquiries can be directed there.

The Help Point is open five days a week. For more information call (01424) 787 999 or visit the website at www.rother.gov.uk/housing