Less than two-thirds of those in the latter stages of a council homelessness prevention programme have found suitable accommodation.

A Brent Council report showed 61 per cent of those facing homelessness with a completed ‘personal housing plan’ had seen their situation resolved.

The PHP is created as part of the council’s single homelessness prevention service, which aims to support the borough’s single homeless population.

According to the latest data, up until June 2019, 433 people with completed personal housing plans who used the homelessness prevention service were either prevented from becoming homeless or relieved of homelessness.

While this represented around half of all cases (49 per cent), the council noted that 61 per cent of applicants experienced a “positive” outcome.

This included being referred to an alternative high needs network or finalising their housing situation.

A further 12 per cent of cases were ongoing at the time, while 27 per cent of people had broken off from the system.

Laurence Coaker, head of housing needs at Brent Council, explained this usually stemmed from people turning down the accommodation they were offered.

He said: “People do have high expectations – there are a lot of calls for social housing, or one bed flats.

“It’s so difficult to secure affordable housing for anyone and most council resources are going to the most vulnerable people.

“We’re not going to build our way out of this; it’s about trying to forge a relationship with the private rented sector. The homelessness prevention service is going a long way to address all this.”

He added that some applicants’ mental health issues can lead to disengagement with the process, even if it’s way down the line.

According to the data, 206 people had refused the offers put forward by SHPS, while 35 people had lost contact and two had been sent to prison.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, responsible for housing and welfare reform at Brent Council, said: “Everyone who comes to us is different has a different story and a unique set of circumstances.

“In general, we are meeting our objectives. But we can build on this to meet the increased demand for services.”