Pic: SamPac

The council has appointed a task force to find available properties outside Croydon for the borough’s homeless families.

Councillor Dudley Mead, cabinet member for housing, said: “While we would prefer to keep families in Croydon, the reality is we have to look further a field. Relocation areas lie within a single stop from East Croydon station.”

The Croydon Council Homeless Strategy  aims to reduce the number of families being temporarily housed in Bed & Breakfast. Almost 90 new houses have been designated for re-housing as part of the initiative and Mead reassured constituents that: “There is no compulsion and the initiative is completely voluntary for people”.

According to the council,  searching for affordable housing outside the borough is the solution to the increasing pressures on their temporary accommodation budget. Designed to house homeless families for a short term, the budget can no longer stretch to cover the increasing demand.

The council has said that number of families currently living in temporary housing in Croydon has risen by 30 per cent in the last year, compared to a five percent overall increase in London.

Jad Adams, chair of Nightwatch Croydon, a charity that cares for homeless people in the area, said: “The initiative will benefit families in overcrowded conditions.

“The plan should not be compulsory and people should be able to chose whether to they want to move and the area they want to live in.”