Commenting on the Welsh homelessness statistics released today (25/7/19), Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis said:

“The figures for last year confirm that local councils across Wales are preventing homelessness successfully in two out of every three cases and have been doing this every year since 2016. With the number of households seeking help reaching the highest level the prevention system has seen, councils across Wales are still preventing more people from becoming homeless.

“There’s no room to be complacent, however, as use of bed and breakfasts has increased. People in this situation do not have a home of their own and are often stuck without a prospect of moving on.

“It’s very welcome that Welsh Government has committed to end homelessness across Wales. Only by working together can we make sure that more cases of homelessness are prevented and that we can respond quickly if people do lose their homes. We can end homelessness in Wales but we now need a plan to set out the exact steps needed to make this happen.”

 

NOTES

1) Welsh Government homelessness statistics release, 2018-19

2) Jon Sparkes is chair of the Welsh Government’s Homelessness Action Group that will recommend the actions needed to end homelessness in Wales. Welsh Government's statement about the group from June 2019 is available.