THE number of people who are currently homeless in St Helens has been confirmed – along with the huge waiting list for housing.

The council has confirmed that the number of people waiting for housing on the housing allocations list, as at the end of December, was 7,515.

The breakdown of the waiting list by "priority band" is Band A 235, Band A* 29, Band B 1,412, Band B* 102, Band C 1,955, and Band D 3,782.

Furthermore, the council has confirmed that 138 people are currently homeless in St Helens – which, it says, comprises 112 households in "relief duty" and 26 in "main homeless duty".

A spokesman says "relief" duty means the 56-day period when a "homeless household in priority need" has to be offered temporary accommodation to "relieve" the homelessness (or they are homeless at home), "whilst we assist them to try to secure rehousing".

He added: “If after the 56 days they have not secured re-housing, they are then owed the full homeless duty which means the local authority has to find permanent re-housing for the household.

“A household can be a family or a single individual, it just means how many cases are being assisted.”

The council has also provided figures for the number of homeless people, as well as the number of rough sleepers, in recent years.

Homeless figures and rough sleepers

It says the homeless figure for April 2018/19 totalled 299, April 2019/20 was 356, April 2020/21 was 419, April 2021/22 was 361, April 2022/23 was 482, and April 2023 to the current date totals 138 – but the council says this will be 389 for the year to date, with 138 of these "being current cases in relief or main duty".

And the council confirmed there were 11 rough sleepers in 2019, four in 2020, one in 2021, three in 2022, and six in 2023.

St Helens Council's response

A spokesman said: "The council has a statutory duty to provide advice and assistance to prevent homelessness which can often be a complex issue.

“As part of ongoing efforts to prevent homelessness in the borough, we have invested significantly in strengthening resources available to us through almost £1m of government funding up until 2025 as part of the government’s Rough Sleeper Initiative (RSI) which has led to the creation of dedicated staffing posts and has funded emergency bed spaces for rough sleepers.

“The council also works closely with a range of partners including Whitechapel which provides an assertive outreach service in the borough; local charity, Teardrops, which has been commissioned by the council to enhance provision for rough sleepers during periods of severe weather –  as well  the Salvation Army and social housing provider, Torus, who through the government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme have been able to create 40 units of accommodation which we have supported.

“Everyone deserves a right to housing so we will continue to encourage the creation of more affordable and social housing in the borough, while supporting rough sleepers and those at risk of homelessness so that a stable solution can be found to improve their situation.”

For information on housing advice and homelessness, visit: www.sthelens.gov.uk/housingadvice.

If you see someone sleeping rough, particularly during the cold weather, please report to: https://thestreetlink.org.uk.