A CALL for greater investment in services to help young homeless people has been made in Kirklees.
Liberal Democrat Clr Dennis Hullock wants more support for young people made homeless following a breakdown in their relationships with their parents.
His call comes as new research out yesterday by Shelter says one in seven children in Britain _ almost 130,000 in Yorkshire and Humberside _ are growing up homeless or in bad housing.
The report - "Against the Odds" - is accompanied by a call to chancellor Gordon Brown to fund 1,170 extra social homes each year in the region to give these children the chance of a brighter future.
Clr Hullock, who represents Dewsbury East said between October 2005 and September 2006, more than half of all cases - 239 out of 435 - in Kirklees involving homeless youngsters had resulted from parents who were no longer willing to accomodate their children after a breakdown in the relationship.
Clr Hullock said: "Putting young vulnerable people in a place where they have no immediate support network or adult supervision is not acceptable.
"Ideally more money should also be invested in providing services that will intervene before a serious breakdown in the parental relationship occurs.
"Peer mentoring from those who have experienced homelessness at a young age has been very effective in other areas and might be a way foward in Kirklees."
