Warning that more people in the East Riding could be evicted from their home
ERYC's cabinet have approved an extra £200,000 of funding
More people could become homeless following a rise in the number of people being evicted during the escalating cost of living crisis.
East Riding Council’s Cabinet approved an extra £200,000 to fund Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) as 70 applications to help tenants awaited decisions at the start of this month.
Council Communities Director Paul Bellotti told councillors more people could become homeless if a rise in evictions continues and the cash boost was needed to avoid that happening.
Council leader Cllr Jonathan Owen said there would never be enough money to help everyone and there were difficult decisions to make on reaching those who needed it most.
Mr Bellotti said the rise in landlords seeking possession orders came amid a backlog stemming from the eviction moratorium in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
The director added it also came as the cost of living crisis continues to deepen prompting more people to seek council help, many the authority has not dealt with before.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved another £80,000 for its YOUR Money financial advice team to hire another member as more people come to the council for help.
A further £120,000 was approved to help Citizens Advice bolster its advisory service.
Economy Portfolio Holder Cllr Jane Evison said Bridlington’s Hinge Centre now had a three-week waiting list because of a surge in people seeking help.
But councillors also heard it came as they faced challenges with their own budgets which was rated as one of the top three risks to the authority currently.
A report to the cabinet stated the council could face a £40m black hole by the next financial year if current trends continue, with work underway to balance the budget.
The cabinet heard the average DHP award had increased from £779 in 2021-22 to £1,030 by this month.
Council figures showed the number of applications stood at 813 as of Monday, November 7 since April, compared to 980 for the 2021-2 financial year.
Around two fifths of East Riding applications are approved.
DHPs help people who are struggling to pay rent with grants covering six months.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show private rents have increased by 4.1 per cent on average in Yorkshire and the Humber in the year up to October.
Mr Bellott said it came as inflation rates of 11.1 per cent as of last month continued to push up the cost of essentials for households.
The director said: “Hopefully we can avoid a further rise in possession orders because otherwise, those tenants will end up at our own front door and potentially homeless.
“That could cost our general fund more due to having to use bed and breakfasts for temporary accommodation.
“We’re also seeing increasing demand for our debt and money advice services and we’re dealing with people we previously haven’t before.
“An increase in energy costs and a more expensive shopping basket are continuing to push up costs for households.
“We’re very unlikely to see a reduction of food prices for the next three to six months, possibly longer.”