HOMELESSNESS in Worthing has reached record levels, with 43 new cases being dealt with each month.

Worthing Council has to find the homeless, including families, places to stay, imposing a growing strain on the town's bed and breakfast accommodation.

The council expects to have dealt with a record-breaking 748 cases between last April and the end of this March at a cost of £182 a week per household - more than £342,000 a year.

The increasing pressure on facilities is being blamed on a

number of factors, including the Government's decision to sell more than 200 homes beside the A27, making many tenants homeless.

A rising number of homeless people and beggars coming into the town has also put a strain on accommodation, with Worthing Churches homeless project and the charity Shelter also desperately hunting for places for people to stay.

The council has appointed a full-time rehousing officer who will co-ordinate a tightening-up of bed and breakfast and rehoming policies in a bid to make people's stay in bed and breakfasts as short as possible.

New facilities are being built at flats in George V Avenue later this year which will help to ease the

crisis but the council says more needs to be done.

A housing spokesman said: "We do not have full records on the number of homeless needing help in the town for previous years but this year's figures of 43 a month is still high and we would expect that trend to continue over the next year.

"This is why we are carrying out a full review of the service we run to see how we can tighten up

procedures and make sure the right people are getting into the right accommodation.

"There is a constant pressure on bed and breakfast accommodation in the town and we are always practically full. By working closely with social services, local housing associations and charity groups we

should be able to form a cohesive plan.

"We are also concerned about the possible arrival of asylum seekers from Europe, who are arriving in towns across the South and which could add to our already strained resources.

"It is vital we know exactly what we have, where we stand and what we can do to help the homeless in Worthing."

The situation will continue to be monitored over the next few months, with a further report being brought to the council's housing committee at the end of the financial year in April.

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