Study finds one in 200 people in Gosport is homeless

Shelter, a charity that helps homeless people, has revealed that Gosport is the 44th worst place in the country for homelessness and that one in 199 people in the town is without a home.

The statistics, which come as the charity celebrates its 50th birthday, found that 415 people in the town are in temporary accommodation with four living on the streets.

The charity calculated that there are almost 250,000 people with no permanent home across the country.

Areas of London were viewed as homelessness ‘hotspots’ with cities such as Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol also placing high on the list.

Westminster was found to be the worst in the country for homelessness, with one in 25 people found to be without a home.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: ‘Shelter’s founding shone a light on hidden homelessness in the sixties slums.

‘But while those troubled times have faded into memory, 50 years on, a modern-day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country.

‘We all face the consequences when so many in our country grow up without a place to call home.

‘It breaks up communities and wreaks havoc on family life.’

The findings were calculated by Shelter after looking at figures from sources including government data and information from social services obtained via a freedom of information request.

A Department for Communities and Local Government (DLG) spokesperson said: ‘We do not recognise these figures.

‘The actual level of homelessness is less than half the 2013 peak. However, we know that one person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government is investing over £500 million during the course of this parliament to tackle homelessness, this includes protecting £315m for local authority homelessness prevention funding.’