More than £2million was spent on temporary accommodation on the Isle of Wight last year for families, couples and single people that had been made homeless.
The figures were revealed by the Isle of Wight Council as it unveiled plans to buy 50 homes in the next 3 years to help those in need.
Between March 2022 and April 2023, 220 households (including 175 families) needed to be housed in temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfasts, caravans, hostels or holiday lets — an increase from 203 the year before.
The authority says since the pandemic the Island has faced a housing crisis like never before, with more than 80% of privately-rented properties becoming unavailable for long-term lets.
The Council’s housing needs register now has more than 2,470 households listed as looking for a permanent home.
In the 2022/23 period, the council placed 584 households in bed and breakfast accommodation, with 12,975 nights booked.
It said those on low incomes and with the highest needs struggle to afford current market rents.
The need for temporary accommodation last year cost the authority £2,213,037 before any income was recouped, compared to £1,703,867 in 2021.
With the increasing need for temporary accommodation, the Council said it was hard to find cost-effective alternatives.
Last night (Thursday), the Council’s cabinet approved a new acquisition strategy which would help the authority buy 50 properties to directly provide the accommodation needed and be rented at an affordable level to Islanders.
Speaking at the meeting, the Council’s adult social care director, Laura Gaudion, said this strategy would support the cost-effective delivery of the authority’s homeless duties and outcomes for local people.
Last week, Councillor Ian Stephens, the cabinet member for housing, said the strategy was a starting point for the council but they were trying to be realistic in what they could deliver, without bankrupting the authority.
It was revealed the council has roughly £1.3million to spend to purchase properties in the current year through loans and grant funding as well as money received from property developers.
The Council’s regeneration and neighbourhoods scrutiny committee wondered if the strategy could do more and said it needed to have set targets and timeframes with a detailed action plan.
It the Housing associations let there empty properties quicker, instead of leaving them empty for months it would help
The void process for housing associations normally takes about 2 or 3 weeks, so none are empty for months.
Perhaps IF the poor people used FREE. Contraception available to them the cycle would be broken.
But of course unless you selfishly bring more offspring into your impoverished life then you will never be given a house
So a catch 22 situation for those who care more about themselves than their childrens future
We should just give poor people a shower. It’s better for society, better for the environment.
so the council spent £2,213,037 for 12,975 nights accommodation..
that works out @ £170 per night. 🙁
methinks the B&B owners (friends & relatives of the councillors,.. or maybe the councillors themselves ?)
are rubbing their hands with glee… & smiling all the way to the bank,…
That’s over 3 times the cost of a room at the travel lodge
so here’s how you do it,..
buy to let property
convert to 4 bed-sits
persuade the council to use your ‘accommodation’
pay maybe £1500 mortgage & £100 for ‘cornflakes & milk’ (‘breakfast’) pcm
‘employ’ a couple of immigrants to clean etc,
The council to pay you £170 per night per room
& you rake in nearly £20K profit every month
not at all corrupt
Sadly the majority of the world is run by crooks.
The rich get richer and end up with the power whilst also being in denial about what the issues are. It’s so sad
Cheer up. At least the sun is shining.
Problem with this idea is will they ever act on it, if you look back over the last few years you find lots of ideas from the IOW Council but sadly never any action and all the while the housing crisis just gets worse with hard working families at their wits end on how they are going to survive.
What is even worse there are some on this island who don’t believe there is a housing crisis because they have their heads stuck in the sand while blaming the unemployed for everything.
Heres an idea you already own several schools that have been closed ie Weston in Totland and Yarmouth primary not to mention the others you wish to close use the money to refurbish these buildings and stop given money to greedy landlords .
Perhaps if the council didn’t keep accepting asylum seekers, unwanteds from other counties and told those wishing to move to the island on taxpayer funded benefits, that there is no room and to stay on the mainland, then there wouldn’t be an issue.
I think if we kicked out the racists and those ‘entitled’ as part of the nose-thumbing local mafia, there’d be room for nicer people.
yes jim – kick out all the anti white, anti heterosexuals and the place will be wonderful.
Why would you vote dave’s comment down? do you want people who are racist towards white people and who are heterophobic living here?
The council don’t do any of these things
Last night (Thursday), the Council’s cabinet approved a new acquisition strategy which would help the authority buy 50 properties to directly provide the accommodation needed and be rented at an affordable level to Islanders.
ermm no…we the council taxpayers do not approve of you wasting our money on buying properties. Also define “islanders” – in our view it is born and bred islanders, not those that show up here, expecting to be housed and called islanders, simply by the virtue of being in this geographical location
“born and bred” – sounds like you have a farm producing “islanders”. Shame that most are poor quality breeding stock, and you need to stop releasing so many runts into the wider community. A more selective breeding programme would be welcomed by all.
But how many generations do you have to have had on the island before you are a true ‘islander’?
That’s all well & good as long as it is done for islanders who live here now & only for those who are in crisis.
Not for people who have a connection with the island through their mother’s aunts brother etc!
At least the council are actually going to try help for once.
Yes, they will collect rent obviously, but hopefully it will be as it states in article, affordable rent.
it will be affordable because the people going in will be on benefits that we the workers or those who are self sufficient are paying to keep
Time to Stop building private housing and build all social housing in future.
There are enough private homes currently for sale on Rightmove.
Building more social housing will save millions of pounds in the long run.
No more rogue Landlords who charge extortionate rents to persons.
You have no grasp of how capitalism works.
building more social houses, just creates more social tenants, who are too lazy to get off their backsides and support theirselves.
100 years ago all but a few were social tenants were they lazy?
Then along came Maggie !
Still much cheaper in the long run, than paying extortionate landlords from
Tax Payers money.
Stop the 2nd home ownership and free up more homes for locals
I don’t think that people in housing crisis are looking for 5 bed detached in Seaview…
Heres an idea, pay the private landlords the rent direct and you will find many many properties will come available to people on benefits, who in their right mind would take the chance on someone handing over the rent, these people know that if they are short, just dont pay the rent, if there are kids involved it will take years to get them out. Such a simple solution to a housing crisis
Housing benefit is paid directly to the landlord, thanks for playing.
No Housing benefit is paid to the claimant .It is supposed to make them more responsible with their money ,It does in most cases but not all .
I think you need educating on the current system that has been in place for quite a few years now….thanks for playing tho
That wouldn’t work because the lha rates are so low here the direct payment to the vulture landlords would only be half of their extortion they charge for health hazard properties they let out
they are usually health hazards after the tenants have moved out
There was an ideal property with 21 bedrooms next to Ryde Library. It was a care home and was up for sale for ages for under half a million. Ideal as each room already set up for . Even if it needed sprucing up it would have been an asset.
Building in Newport on Coppins bridge perfect for homeless people
Why should the council be responsible for housing homeless people. Surely our money could be put to better causes
Who do you suggest helps the homeless? It is the responsibility of the council.
Why is it the responsibility of the council when a lot of the people are not even islanders
Stop this “islanders” garbage. People who live on the island are islanders. People who have lived here for several generations do not have special status. They are just the same as the rest of us. Grow up.
no selwyn – islanders are the locals, who were born here, we are not the same as you or anyone else – get used to it
“we are not the same as you or anyone else” – but the same as each other for one very obvious reason
What are the better causes our money could towards, if not helping save people’s lives?
They don’t house MOST homeless people,they are left to sleep on the streets.Take a look at Sandown at night.They only help the vulnerable they say.Surely anyone having to live on the streets becomes vulnerable
Those aren’t homeless people on the streets in Sandown at night – they are just drunk or drugged or both.
If there’s a housing crisis, why are the council bringing more people here from the mainland and housing them?
exactly catherine – the council are claiming that there is a crisis, whilst permitting more spongers to turn up here, so that they can attempt to justify building more crappy benefit hutches on the ever decreasing amount of land left on the island. More houses, means more people, which in turn means more money from central government and subsequently means higher pay for the vested interests at county hall – follow the money
That simply does not happen.
yes it does mark – do you even know how these things work
mp’s/councillors etc all love big government as it justifies their jobs/pay rises – more people here, means a need for larger local government – do you get it now.
Having worked in housing on the Island for 20 years, funnily enough I do know how it works. The unchallenged lies in the comments section here is unbelievable.
of course you have mark – anyone can claim to have worked in housing or anything else for that matter on a message board – your claim cannot be verified, so it will be seen as lies
Incorrect jon. I worked with Mark in housing for 15 years and can attest to his veracity.
50 homes. 2.5k families seeking housing. I’m no mathematician but that leaves at least (tap tap tap quick maff) several without housing.
Best send the flotilla contents back double quick or watch your own people pay one hell of a price.
Those families are not homeless, but instead they are living in rented accom paid for mainly by the rest of us. They are on the list for a council house to be paid for mainly by the rest of us. Maybe they should do some hard work and pay for themselves.