More households in York applied for homelessness support last year, new figures show.

It comes as a report is due to be published today (Wednesday, December 4) outlining City of York Council’s strategy to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the city.

The council’s housing boss has pledged to end rough sleeping in York within the four-year lifetime of the Labour administration.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures show the number of households in England assessed for homelessness support rose by 10 per cent over the last year, reaching nearly 91,000 in the three months to June.

Of those, 83,240 were assessed as requiring 'a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness', meaning housing authorities must help prevent them from becoming homeless or support them in securing accommodation if they are already homeless.

In York, 213 households had an initial homelessness assessment from April to June.

This was up from 204 in the same period in 2023, and all the assessments found the households required support.

In England, 123,100 households were living in temporary accommodation as of June, including 57 in York.

This was up from 105,750 the year before.

Meanwhile, nearly 159,400 children faced homelessness in temporary accommodation nationally up 15 per cent from the year before, and the highest figure since records began in 2004.

A decision is due to be made on the city council’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy on Thursday, December 12.

As The Press has reported, the strategy includes plans for the council to bring all homeless services in house.

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Last year the council announced that it would not be renewing its £95,000-a-year contract with the Salvation Army to provide an ‘early intervention’ service working with rough sleepers on the streets.

And this month, the authority’s £1 million contract with Changing Lives – which runs Union Terrace and Robinson Court homeless hostel – will end.

The council will take over the running of the Union Terrace and Robinson Court hostels itself.

Changing Lives staff who work there will transfer across to the council, under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) provisions.

Council bringing homeless services in house will let is 'better plan pathways' for vulnerable people, says housing boss

Cllr Michael Pavlovic, City of York Council’s executive member for housing, told The Press the strategy will see “a change of support that moves away from the outdated hostel model to more independent living with wraparound support”.

But a Changing Lives spokesperson previously challenged the council’s suggestion that bringing all homelessness services in York under local authority control offered the best solution for vulnerable homeless people – and said it believed a “collaborative approach” was the best way forward.

Cllr Michael Pavlovic, City of York Council’s executive member for housingCllr Michael Pavlovic, City of York Council’s executive member for housing (Image: City of York Council) Cllr Pavlovic said the council “taking on responsibility for all homelessness support services” will help it “better plan pathways for people so they are at less risk of becoming homeless and in some cases, rough sleeping”.

He said the council is “working towards” its pledge to end rough sleeping by May 2027 and this “will be made more achievable following the approval of a Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy this month”.

Cllr Pavlovic added: “Nationally, little has been done for years but we now have legislation brought forward to end no fault rental evictions, which will help.

“We take our statutory duties seriously but also recognise that years of suppressed homebuilding, the protection of vested interests and widening inequality will take years to reverse.

“But a key objective is to get the Local Plan adopted and to get building, including affordable housing at scale. We expect this approval to happen within weeks, rather than months.”