HOUSING
So, while the council still works hard
to help those in crisis, it now places
prevention at the heart of its new
strategy for tacking homelessness. This
means working with families at the
earliest opportunity, often several months
away from eviction and homelessness, to
stop them from losing their homes. This
approach is working – last year, Ealing
diverted a larger percentage of at-risk
households away from homelessness
than any other London borough.
Councillor Mason said: “I know
from personal experience what it’s like
for a family to fall on hard times and
need help when they are homeless.
Ealing Council stands ready to step
in to support any local people who
find themselves in the awful position
of having nowhere to live. Becoming
homeless is a traumatic experience and
asking for help can feel incredibly hard.
This is why our priority is to prevent
homelessness in the first place.”
How you can help
n If
you are concerned about
someone sleeping rough, go to
www.streetlink.org.uk as soon as
possible to help connect them
with their local outreach team.
Councillor Peter Mason, the council’s
cabinet member for housing, planning
and transformation, said: “We are
working hard to ensure everyone
who needs a bed for the night in the
borough can access one. No one
should have to sleep rough. Although
our efforts have seen a big drop in
rough sleeping in the borough, we
will not rest until everyone has a safe
and secure roof over their heads,
and the support they need to stay off
the streets.”
PREVENTION IS BETTER
THAN CURE
Rough sleepers only make up a
tiny proportion of homeless people
in the UK. More than 2,500 local
families have found themselves
homeless, usually because they have
been priced out of the local rental
market. Like all councils, Ealing has
a duty to support anyone who is
already homeless and to make sure
that children and vulnerable people
have somewhere safe to live.
n Want to donate to a local
night shelter? We have two in
the borough:
• Ealing Churches Winter Night
Shelter – you can donate at
www.ecwns.org.uk
• Hope for Southall Street
Homeless – to support them,
go to www.hssh.org.uk
n If you are concerned about
your own housing situation,
contact the council’s housing
advice service on 020 8825 8888
or [email protected]
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