Food bank queues 'getting bigger' as new support services begin
A Devon food bank says the number relying on it has tripled in a year - and some nights the queue for help now stretches down the street
Last updated 6th Dec 2021
Volunteers at Torbay's biggest food bank says some nights the queue stretches down the road as the number of people needing help continues to rise.
PATH or People Assisting Torbay's Homeless say there's been a three-fold increase in demand for their support service - which is part of the Torbay Food Alliance, a partnership of 10 organisations.
Greatest Hits Radio has spent a night with volunteers and those needing the service.
A 65 year old, who is now in temporary accommodation but has lived on the streets of Torquay told us: "It's the difference between eating or not - I don't have the funds to survive."
Kath Fredrick runs PATH
Around 132 households a night will be supported by Torbay council - a mix of family groups, individuals and couples.
Until now around one in four properties in Torbay was privately rented, but that is now starting to fall and the council is looking to lease and buy property to help tackle the shortage
Torbay Council currently sets aside ÂŁ414 for a one-bedroom property, despite the average local rent now reaching ÂŁ450-550. It expects to pay ÂŁ828 for a four-bedroom, which locally is being rented out for an average of ÂŁ900-1,500.
Tara Harris, Divisional Director Community and Customer Services for Torbay Council, talks about the challenges they face
The latest figures show Torbay had 1,541 second homes in October 2019 and 1,574 this October (2021).
There's currently roughly 2,500 empty properties in Torbay and officials are working to see what can be done through their Housing Crisis Review Panel, which next meets on December 15th.
This month a new Nightstop service will begin in Torbay, providing emergency overnight accommodation for young people.
Nightstop, based at the YMCA South Devon in Paignton, aims to get young people (aged between 16 and 25 years) into a 'safe, caring environment, in the homes of trained volunteers'.
Nightstop already runs in 30 towns and cities across the UK, but it is a first for Torbay, which bosses say 'young homelessness has become an urgent and increasingly severe problem'.
Last year Torbay Council Housing Options team and Children’s Services provided temporary accommodation for 133 young people between the ages of 16 and 25, who found themselves homeless - Nightstop aims to 'fill the gap between first becoming homeless and a suitable solution being found'.
For Maria Goodwin, CEO of YMCA Devon, it is the culmination of a long-held ambition: “It has been a passion of mine for a long time to be able to provide this service, so I am really pleased that we are able to work collaboratively with Torbay Council, to ensure that longer-term solutions are found.”
A Torbay Council spokesperson said: “Torbay Local Authority has worked with YMCA South Devon for over 10 years, and have found the charity to be a first-class organisation supporting disadvantaged young people and their families.
"We are very pleased to be working in partnership with them on the Nightstop project, and fully endorse the organisation in its delivery of services in Torbay.”