Student flat use halves council's housing bill

Using vacant student flats to tackle a city's housing crisis has slashed thousands of pounds off a local authority's bills.

Colchester City Council said it was halving its £14,000 daily cost of keeping people in temporary accommodation thanks to the scheme.

It has more than 2,400 applicants on its housing register, with families facing five-year waits for a home.

Labour councillor Julie Young said: "It has been transformational for those families that were living in one room."

Student accommodation in the Greenstead area of the city was repurposed to house families after a council vote in September.

The authority had been spending £440,000 per month on bed and breakfasts and hotels, but took action as demand continued to rise.

Young said the figures were "staggering", but insisted the use of student flats - with separate bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom - had restored people's dignity.

"You can't quantify the difference it must make for a family to cook their own food and eat round a table together," she said.

"This is much better quality accommodation for families and it is cheaper for the council."

Renting the student homes for about 150 households was costing the council £6,350 a day, more than half of what it spent on hotels and B&Bs.

By the end of March, 132 of those households had benefited from the new initiative - which councillors are considering extending.

Karen Loweman, a director at the council-run Colchester Borough Homes, said despite the positives she remained concerned about rising demand.

There were 449 households in temporary accommodation in April, up from 326 the year before.

"It's going up because there's not enough affordable houses," Ms Loweman said,

She said 481 children were among those being supported, and it was "heartbreaking" to see them sharing cramped hotel rooms with their parents.

The main causes of homelessness in Colchester are when private-rented tenancies end, instances of domestic abuse, and family members no longer being able to provide a home.

"Our staff come into this work because they want to help people, but many now feel helpless," Ms Loweman added.

But she said using student flats created a more positive environment for those receiving support.

"I would like to see everyone in a house with a garden where they can bring their children up," she said.

"We've found an interim solution that is better what we did have and, for now, it is certainly helping people."

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