Homeless Households 'Off the Radar' Of Public Services

Homeless households are being sent out of London to bed and breakfast hotels as far away as Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds without the councils they are moving to knowing that they are there, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Councillors and housing campaigners warn that the failure to inform receiving boroughs of the new arrivals could put vulnerable families at "urgent risk".  Last year, 580 homeless households were sent out of London into temporary accommodation, according to research by the housing charity Shelter. Newham council, in east London, has been sending homeless households to the Bailey hotel in Birmingham since last year, possibly longer. But a Birmingham city council spokesman says it has no knowledge of these households and has received nothing from Newham. He describes these families as "completely off the radar" of public services.  Read more on the Guardian website.