FAMILIES SPEND AN average of six months in a family hub, according to a new report by housing charity Respond. 

Respond’s annual report, published today, also showed that only 8% of families supported by the charity in family hubs were able to receive social housing in 2018. 

Niamh Randall, a spokesperson for Respond, said that the “absence of housing options” was one of the major barriers to families leaving family hubs. 

Respond runs five family hubs, with 110 families offered support last year. 

Thirty-six families moved into private accommodation under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, while nine moved into social housing. 

Sixteen returned to live with their families. 

The report found that 163 children were being supported by the charity in 2018 – 58% were under five-years old. 

Randall said that the charity was “committed” to support families experiencing homelessness. 

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“This means working with people around physical health issues, mental health issues and the  the trauma of becoming homeless and providing support to access housing,” she said.

In 2018, the charity began work on 475 new homes, with plans to build 2,500 by 2023. 

Randall said the charity sees the “importance of a home and the security that it brings people”.

“People cannot fully participate in society if they don’t have a safe and secure home,” she said.