A SHARP spike in the number of homeless people is being felt in Kirklees, the council has revealed.

The district had previously experienced a massive drop in the number of homeless people over the last five years.

Figures released by the council under Freedom of Information legislation showed that applications for help from homeless people dropped by nearly three quarters from 2,206 in 2005/06 to only 681 in 2009/10.

But a spokeswoman for the council has revealed that they are now experiencing a spike in demand from people claiming they are homeless.

She said: “Kirklees has followed the national trend and has seen an increase in applications resulting in an increase of 14% for homeless acceptances in the second quarter of 2010. [The figures for quarter 3 figures are not yet available.]

“This means that more people have recently sought support from the council for their housing problems.

“As a council we are committed to working with individuals and families to prevent homelessness and have various options in place to support them.

“We only place people in temporary accommodation as a last resort when there are no other options available to them.”

Clr Shabir Pandor, Kirklees Council’s Cabinet member for housing, said: “We are concerned, but are expecting an increase in demand for council support as the economic situation continues and the proposed welfare benefit reforms and austerity measures start to have an impact on families.

“Despite this, I am optimistic that our staff will continue to help people look at their options so they do not have to access temporary accommodation.”

Applications for help with homelessness have shot up nationally, as the effects of job cuts start to bite.

Figures released by the Government last month show a 14% rise in applicants in England during the third quarter of 2010 compared to 2009.

The rise is the first increase for two consecutive quarters since 2003.

The period from July to September saw 11,840 people apply for help across England.

The report by the Communities and Local Government Department, also revealed that 60% of the applicants had dependant children – an increase of 58% on the same time last year.

Homelessness charity, Shelter, said the figures also showed 49,680 homeless households in temporary accommodation.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter said: “Already in Britain every two minutes someone faces the nightmare of losing their home, so it’s really worrying to see such a huge increase in homelessness.

“We know from the cases we see every day that just one single thing, like a bout of illness, rent increase or drop in income, is all that’s needed push people into spiral of debt and arrears that can lead to the loss of their home.

“It’s vital that anyone struggling with their housing costs seeks independent advice as soon as possible.”