Homelessness is at its highest level since 1997 and the government is to give councils an extra 拢60m to spend on the problem.
The government released the figures the same day that the Barker review of housing supply, which showed that the supply of affordable housing has continued to dwindle despite rising need.

The number of households made homeless in England this year will pass 200,000 for the first time since Tony Blair became prime minister in 1997.

The figures stand at a total of 212,760 for the year from 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2003, compared to 164,960 in 1997.

Homelessness minister Lord Rooker announced the figures at an Association of London Government conference on the issue, held in the capital on Wednesday.

The figures also showed there was a 14% drop between June and September in the number of families temporarily accommodated in B&Bs between September and June this year 鈥� from 3636 to 3190. But Rooker admitted that the overall problem was getting worse.

The 拢60m for councils and voluntary organisations is designed to help them tackle the issue.

Rooker said: "Local authorities' homelessness reviews and strategies help to explain at a local level the reasons for the increases and their plans for addressing them."

Meanwhile, the Barker review showed that the rate of new building in England falls 39,000 homes short of what is needed every year 鈥� and that 31,000 of those should be affordable.

Adam Sampson, director of homelessness charity Shelter, said: "The report places an obligation on government to boost spending in order to provide affordable homes for those in most desperate need.

"It's nothing short of a national scandal that so many people are trapped in temporary homes and houses not fit for living in."

However, an ODPM spokeswoman added that tough new legislation such as the 2002 Homelessness Act has changed the definition of homelessness, thereby increasing the statistics.

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Housing Today