Enfield Council in its role as a local housing authority is obliged to periodically review homelessness in the Borough and use it as the basis for revising its Homelessness Strategy, which is designed to prevent homelessness and provide advice to people who are in danger of, or are already, homeless.
The Council is inviting residents to contribute to the process by filling in an online survey.
In an introductory page on its website, the Council identifies the biggest challenges to preventing homelessness:
- Government changes in funding to build new affordable homes
- The rise in the number of people on low incomes
- Government changes to welfare benefits
- The rise in the number of people unable to afford to live in Enfield
- Changes to homelessness law meaning that private sector homes will now be the main housing option for most homeless households
- A shortage of social rented homes. The Council estimates that just over 600 Council and housing association homes will become available for letting in 2013/14 and even less in future years. There is a severe shortage of Council and housing association homes with three or more bedrooms.
- In 2012 over 1,300 households came to Enfield for help because they were homeless. The Council expects this number to rise considerably in 2013 and future years.