Thanet mulls £39m plans to house homeless

The council's deputy leader said placing people in temporary accommodation outside the area caused huge "strain"

Plans to spend nearly £39m to bring homeless people back to Thanet will be considered by councillors this week.

Currently, 303 households are living in temporary accommodation, 146 in Thanet and a further 157 out of the area, with some based as far away as Medway.

The proposals include acquiring or building 170 homes - a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties - at a cost of £38,762,000.

The new homes would be specifically for "households that are currently living out of the area in temporary accommodation", said Thanet District Council.

"The cost of temporary accommodation has steadily increased in recent years, prompted by the shortage of affordable housing and the rising number of households finding themselves homeless," said the council.

It added that the proposals would result in "an immediate initial annual saving of £114,000 and more than £1,000,000 per year saved by year 10".

Helen Whitehead, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, said: "The social, emotional, and financial strain for Thanet residents of being placed out of area is enormous.

"It is damaging for families and individuals, places strain on education placements and the management of health conditions."

The proposals will be considered by cabinet at a meeting on Thursday.