THE number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in Bournemouth has tripled in the past five years, figures suggest.

The data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, shows that there were 178 households in temporary accommodation in Bournemouth at the end of March this year – more than triple the number in 2013.

However, the figures also show that all the homeless households which were identified as a priority case had been found some form of accommodation.

The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, Jon Sparkes, said: "While we welcome steps the Government has taken around preventing homelessness, the figures are a stark reminder that there are still far too many people who are homeless and stuck in temporary accommodation or being placed in sub-standard and sometimes dangerous B&Bs.

"Every day we see first-hand the effects of long stays in these types of accommodation – people can become isolated, with little access to vital support services, in poor conditions with nowhere to wash clothes or cook.

"No one deserves to live like this. When people do lose their homes, we need to make sure they are helped quickly into safe and secure accommodation. This means affordable houses and flats in ordinary communities."

Poole had 101 households in temporary accommodation at the end of March, a 33 per cent increase on 2013, but with priority cases accounted for.

Across England, there are 10,000 families for whom councils have a duty to provide housing, but no suitable accommodation had been secured. In 2013, there were 5,930.

The number of people in temporary accommodation has also risen, by 44 per cent. In England, there are now nearly 80,000 households in such lodgings.

Of the households in temporary accommodation in Bournemouth in March, the majority, 112, were in council housing. Of the rest, 51 were placed in B&Bs and nine were in private leased homes.

In the 12 months to March 2018, 341 households in Bournemouth were classified as homeless and a priority need.

Priority cases include families with children, households where someone is pregnant and people aged 16 or 17.

Councils can also class certain people as a priority if they are vulnerable, including victims of domestic abuse, people with mental health issues and those who have spent time in care, prison or the armed forces.

From April this year, local councils have been required to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act, which is designed to ensure that public services work together in a coordinated approach to tackle homelessness. Despite a government commitment to spend £72.7 million on it over three years, many councils have reported their facilities for tackling homelessness being stretched by rising demand.

Martin Tett, housing spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: "This rise in homelessness, which means that councils are currently housing more than 79,000 homeless families, and in excess of 123,000 homeless children, in temporary accommodation is deeply worrying.

"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.

"The people caught up in our homelessness crisis can't afford for us to wait. It's now crucial that we take the serious measures that are needed to get towards our collective ambition to end homelessness outright."