IPSWICH: More needs to be done to curb the escalating numbers of homeless people in the town, charities said today.

Ipswich Umbrella Trust, a charity which helps those on the margins of the community, said it had seen a significant increase in the number of people sleeping rough within the last few weeks.

This follows new figures which reveal that homelessness in the east of England has rose by more than 28 per cent last year; the largest rise of any region in the country.

The statistics, released by the Department for Communities and Local Government, showed a countrywide increase of 14pc compared to 2010.

Roger Fern, chairman of trustees for Ipswich Umbrella Trust said: “I’m not surprised by the statistics. More people are falling on hard times, becoming unemployed or unable to pay the rent.

“More needs to be done. Not necessarily to just create more bed spaces but agencies working with people in need should be working more closely together.”

The problem within the town was highlighted by the Ipswich Winter Night Shelter, which provided 45 people with a hot meal and somewhere to sleep over the winter months.

But during the nine weeks in which the project was running they had to turn away 66 other people who needed a bed for the night.

Reverend Canon Paul Daltry, the minister of church and community engagement in Ipswich who helped arrange the project, said: “From what we discovered at the shelter it is clear that far more needs to be done.”

Graham Miles, vice chairman of the management team Ipswich winter night shelter, added: “When we ran the Ipswich Winter Night Shelter we had 45 guest through our seven churches in Ipswich and we found homes for ten of them, and we are still helping.

“Local government and councils should be getting people out onto the streets to get to know these people in their own community and the problems that some of the homeless have.

“Let’s hope that churches from all religions throughout the East of England follow those in Ipswich to try and help these people.”

Crisis, one of the leading homeless charities in the country, suggested the rise was caused by a “perfect storm” of the economic downturn, soaring demand for affordable housing combined with cuts to housing benefit and homelessness services.

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