BROMSGROVE has ranked 12th in the West Midlands for the highest rates of recorded homelessness, new figures reveal.
As part of a study by housing and homelessness charity Shelter, almost 21,000 people in the West Midlands are homeless today, with the figure at one in 888 in Bromsgrove.
In the most extensive review of its kind, the charity combined official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures, which showed the number of homeless people in the West Midlands has increased by 22 per cent in a year.
However, as government records are not definitive, the true figure of homelessness is likely to be even higher.
With a population of 96,769, the number of people living in temporary accommodation in Bromsgrove is at 107, with a total of 109 being homeless.
As well as this, on average two people are sleeping rough.
To identify where the problem is most acute in the West Midlands, the charity mapped the top 20 hotspots in the region with the highest levels of homelessness.
Birmingham topped the list where one in every 88 people are homeless, this was followed by Coventry with one in 229 and Solihull with one in 314.
Shelter is calling on the public to support its frontline advisers as they work to help people to stay in their home or find a new one.
Shelter Birmingham Hub manager, Vicky Hines, said: “On a daily basis, we speak to people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness.
“Some will have spent the night shivering on a cold pavement, others crammed into a dingy, hostel room with their children.
“And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for.
“A trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of welfare cuts.
“We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own.”
To support Shelter’s urgent appeal please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.
