Housing charity Shelter launched the national advice line last week after successfully piloting it in London and the south of England since September 2007.
Shelter's regional co-ordinator for children's services, Peta Cubberley, said in the last six months the pilot of the advice line had taken more than 300 calls, 142 of which had led to Shelter formally opening cases.
Children's centre workers can use the helpline to get advice for families with any kind of housing need. This includes homelessness, issues with poor housing, social housing, rental arrangements and even mortgages.
Cubberley said mortgages were already proving problematic for many families and likely to become more of an issue as the credit crunch continues to bite and many fixed-rate mortgages end, leaving families facing higher bills or repossessions.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
