More than a third of homeless families in the South West are working

Homelessness charity Shelter figures, based on freedom of information requests, show that 37 per cent of families living in temporary accommodation in the region are working – an 80 per cent increase from 2013.

The charity’s chief executive described the figures as “disgraceful” and urged the government to come up with a new plan for providing social housing.

More than 500 families in the South West have jobs despite not having a permanent place to live compared to 300 five years ago.

Shelter has blamed the rise on “a combination of high private rents, the freeze on housing benefit and a chronic lack of social homes”.

Polly Neate, Shelter CEO, said: “It’s disgraceful that even when families are working every hour they can, they’re still forced to live through the grim reality of homelessness.

“In many cases, these are parents who work all day or night before returning to a cramped hostel or B&B where their whole family is forced to share a room.

“A room with no space for normal family life like cooking, playing or doing homework.”

The number of households in Bournemouth living in temporary accommodation has tripled over the last five years with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures showing that there were 178 at the end of March this year.

Most (112) were living in council housing although 51 households were placed in bed and breakfasts with nine in private leased homes.

Ms Neate added: “We cannot allow struggling families to slip through the cracks created by our housing crisis - the government must urgently come up with a new plan for social housing that delivers the genuinely affordable homes we desperately need.

“Our commission on the future of social housing will be calling for bold solutions, because more of the same is simply not good enough.”

The loss of a tenancy is the biggest cause of homelessness with it given as the reason why 27 per cent of households have been accepted as homeless.

Since April, councils have been required to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act, which aims to encourage public services to work closer together to reduce homelessness.

Local Government Association, housing spokesman Martin Tett, said: "Councils are determined to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place and do all they can to support families.

"Rising homelessness demonstrates the need for the duties that the Homelessness Reduction Act imposed on councils to be fully-funded and resourced.

"It's now crucial that we take the serious measures that are needed to get towards our ambition to end homelessness outright."