Is Milton Keynes Council sending rough sleepers to Birmingham?

Homelessness in Milton Keynes special investigation

Milton Keynes teenager lived in Volkswagen Polo car

While there is extra funding to tackle homelessness in the city, several homeless people said the council is trying to move them to other areas.

MK Council also says it employs a specialist organisation, Prime Midlands, to help young people with drug and alcohol problems and offer permanent rehousing in Birmingham.

Daniel is among those to have been advised to take the 70-mile journey north. “Maybe it might give us a roof over our heads but what they’re not thinking about is whether we can get work there or our wellbeing.”

A council spokesman says some single, young men, who were not classed as a priority or vulnerable, have been offered such advice through the council’s Housing Options team. In such cases, if nothing local is affordable, and rehousing with family isn’t possible, the officers look further afield. Affordable accommodation in other areas is considered and “single people have the choice to take up the accommodation or not”. Milton Keynes Council also says it employs a specialist organisation, Prime Midlands, to help young people with drug and alcohol problems and offer permanent rehousing in Birmingham.

The council says that tackling homelessness is a priority and Labour councillor for housing Nigel Long says he aims to end street homelessness by 2020.

The council, which has cash reserves of over £200m, will receive £360,000 from central government to provide immediate support and accommodation to people who are sleeping rough. This is in addition to an initial £239,000 awarded in March.

Since March the local authority adopted a new approach where, in principle, people who are homeless should be put into accommodation immediately whatever their needs.

This article was courtesy of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism