One in every 251 Hastings residents is homeless, figures show

One in every 251 people in Hastings is recorded homeless, according to analysis from homelessness charity Shelter.
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The latest figures obtained by Shelter showed that 371 people out of a population of 92,855 were homeless – either in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough.

Of those, 48 people were sleeping rough at a given night in 2019, Shelter revealed.

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Another 320 were in temporary accommodation arranged by the council, the figures showed, with three more in temporary accommodation arranged by themselves or homeless at home.

The rate of homelessness in Hastings. Picture supplied by ShelterThe rate of homelessness in Hastings. Picture supplied by Shelter
The rate of homelessness in Hastings. Picture supplied by Shelter

The figures revealed that one person out of every 251 Hastings residents was recorded as homeless.

This makes Hastings the 54th worst region for homelessness rates in the country, Shelter’s figures showed.

The number of people recorded as homeless in the South East as a whole has reached 24,195, Shelter’s figures revealed.

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Shelter’s extensive analysis of official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures shows the number of homeless people in the region has increased by 27 per cent since 2016 when the charity first published its landmark annual report.

For the first time, the charity’s review of government data has also exposed that close to 32,000 people in the South East were threatened with homelessness in the last year.

Shelter said: “Despite being the most comprehensive overview of homelessness in the country, it is widely known that a lot of homelessness goes undocumented, including sofa surfing and some rough sleeping. This means the true level of homelessness will be even higher than today’s count.

“Shelter is warning that unless the new government takes urgent action to address the dire lack of social homes at the crux of this emergency, the situation is likely to get worse.

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“Alongside its bid to get more social housing built, the charity is calling on the public to support its frontline workers as they grapple with huge demand this Christmas. In the last year, a call was made to Shelter’s emergency helpline every 44 seconds and its free webchat service was used almost 26,000 times.”

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Homelessness blights lives and leaves a lasting imprint of trauma, and yet more than 24,000 people in the South East are without a home this Christmas. And many are only days away from joining them.

“As well as those facing serious ill-health or even death sleeping rough on our streets this winter, there are too many families trapped in grotty emergency B&Bs, with no space for children to sit and eat, let alone play. This is the grim truth our new government must confront and do something radical to change.

“Until the government acts to stem this crisis, the work of our frontline advisers remains critical. With the public’s support we will do everything we can to help people find a safe and stable place to live – no matter how long it takes.”