Most households seeking help from Bedford Borough Council’s housing service are already homeless by the time they first come to the council’s attention, according to a report due to be discussed by councillors next week.
A briefing for the Housing Committee (Wednesday, 17 June) states that around 200 homeless households approach the service each month.
The report says that only eight per cent of the council’s current homelessness caseload consists of households owed a prevention duty, while 92 per cent are already homeless and owed either a relief duty or a main housing duty.
It adds that “the vast majority” of households are first known to the housing service “at the crisis point when they become homeless”, leaving little opportunity to prevent homelessness before it occurs.
Nationally, 40 per cent of cases are typically prevention duty owed, so “Bedford is significantly below the national trend”, the report said.
The Housing Committee will be told that the council received 2,397 approaches for homelessness assistance during 2025-26, compared with 2,369 during 2024-25.
The report states that homelessness was prevented in 214 cases during 2025-26, a 15 per cent increase on the previous year.
This represented seven per cent of case outcomes, compared with 5.4 per cent in 2024-25.
The top five reasons for homelessness were:
- Loss of private sector tenancy
- Family or friends are no longer willing to accommodate
- Domestic abuse
- Eviction from supported housing
- End of social rented tenancy
A new housing ‘early help’ team has been created with a view to taking on cases for homeless prevention that have been identified early and referred in.
Recruitment is in progress for a team leader and five officers, with funding via the homelessness prevention resettlement grant, and the roles will include casework and outreach
The Housing Committee is due to discuss the report on 17 June.
If residents have questions on this report or how the council handles homelessness, they can email them to the Committee via RighttoSpeak@bedford.gov.uk by midday on the day of the meeting.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
