Anti-Homelessness Helpline Now Receiving Call For Help Every 30 Seconds

A helpline run by an anti-homelessness charity now receives one call asking for help every 30 seconds, new figures reveal. Shelter’s advice line has seen the volume of calls rise by 50,000 in the past 12 months, with one in four cases taken on by the line from people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home within 28 days.  A report by a cross-party group of MPs warned that the number of rough sleepers in England had risen by 30 per cent to 3,569 between 2014 and 2015. They blamed in part changes to housing benefits payments. Other factors, such as a trend away from social housing and towards private renting, have been blamed for the increase in homelessness and rough sleeping in recent years. Read more on the Independent website.