Homeless families in South East Birmingham will now face an extra long journey to try and find a roof over their heads after services in the city dedicated to helping the homeless have undergone a massive shake up.
The homeless advice service which has for a long time been first port of call for anyone finding themselves evicted or having their home repossessed in the city has now been squeezed into just 4 locations, Newtown, Small Heath, Northfield and Erdington, a radical change from the 20 offices dotted around the City previously.
Now the council’s housing watchdog committee have expressed fears that residents in areas such as Yardley and Acocks Green will be faced with several bus journeys to process their applications, and the worry is that some may give up or end up sleeping rough. The fear is some will become depressed at losing their home and will not make the long journey for help. Only once an application has been processed and accepted can temporary accommodation be issued and their name entered on the housing waiting list. Only then of course can they think about getting household insurance cover once more.
Lib Dem Committee Member Iain Bowen said “These offices are not very accessible for people from the south-east, in areas like Acocks Green and Yardley. There should be something there so people can see a homeless officer. People from my ward will need two or three buses to get to the nearest office.”
Council bosses insist the new system will be more effective with experts concentrated together rather than spread out in several neighbourhood offices. The council have also pledged to pay the bus fare, and in exceptional cases they will pay a taxi fare to get people to the office where they can be helped. The council are also planning to use homes formerly set aside for asylum seekers to help anyone who becomes homeless.
Tags: Home Insurance, Homeless services, household insurance