HOMELESSNESS in the North of England could more double from 20,000 last year to 46,800 by 2014 unless action is taken, a charity has warned.

Crisis has produced a report predicting the current rise in people without a roof of their own sleeping rough on the UK’s streets will continue to rise without major changes of policy at national and local government level.

In the Northern Region is says that the figures for homeless people are currently force to rise from from 19,300 in 2011 and 20,000 in 2016, to 29,300 in 2021, 30,100 in 2026, 40,200 in 2031, 41,600 in 2036, and 46,800 in 2041.

Nationally the figure will rise from 150,000 last year to almost 400,000 by 2041 Crisis predicts.

Cllr Judith Blake, housing spokeswoman for the Local Government Association, said:“Councils want to end homelessness.

“For families, rising homelessness is tragic. For councils housing homeless people, it is unsustainable.

“There is no substitute for a renaissance in council house building if we’re to truly address the rising homelessness we face as a nation.

“ For that to happen, government needs to allow councils to borrow to invest in genuinely affordable housing, and to keep all of their receipts from Right to Buy sales, so that money can be reinvested into delivering genuinely affordable homes.”