Vulnerable people living rough in Lancaster face a waiting list for emergency accommodation.

And according to the charity Shelter, the problem is unique in Lancashire.

The issue came to light after Lancaster and Wyre MP Hilton Dawson highlighted the plight of a destitute 18-year-old living on the street in the city centre.

He said he was shocked' to find the vulnerable teenager had contacted various agencies for help after having problems at home but to no avail.

Now the MP says he hopes new laws - the Homelessness Act - extra resources and new agencies will ensure no-one slips through the net in future.

Mr Dawson says the youngster was facing a long Bank Holiday weekend of rough sleeping with no money, but after pleading his case, the city's housing department found him emergency accommodation.

Helen Worsley, Shelter's senior caseworker in Lancashire, echoed Mr Dawson's concerns.

"Something is not working. The nub of the problem in Lancaster is that there's no temporary accommodation to house people.

There's one B&B used by the council to house anyone who is vulnerable and homeless. But there's a waiting list. This is a totally unacceptable situation, which doesn't happen anywhere else in Lancashire."

She said: "The council needs to address the problem of homelessness. There seems to be a lack of willingness to push homelessness up the agenda. The fact an 18-year-old was sleeping rough for days with no help is totally unacceptable."

A council spokesman acknowledged the shortage of suitable accommodation for young people but stressed efforts were being made to improve the situation and the Council acted immediately to find emergency accommodation for vulnerable people.

She said students largely absorbed Lancaster's rented property while available accommodation in Morecambe was usually in areas suffering from "social stress issues", and were unsuitable for young and vulnerable people.

"The immediate situation is difficult," she adds. "We have a shortage of appropriate permanent accommodation and because of our geographical isolation the housing market is relatively self contained."

April 24, 2003 08:31