More should be done to provide temporary homes for people at risk of homelessness in Cornwall.

That is the view of one former homeless man after Cornwall Council revealed that new legislation means that those at risk of losing their homes will get more help than ever before.

Under new homeless laws, the first major change since 1977, local authorities have to do more to help including providing a housing plan which will set out how people can either retain their homes or find new ones.

However Nick Cuthbert from Truro, who sells the Big Issue in the city, said he was not convinced that it would solve the problem.

Nick, who was homeless for two years, now lives in a caravan.

He said: “Most people lose their homes through eviction and that is because they caused problems and didn’t look after their home or didn’t behave.

“They won’t be rehoused anyway as nobody will want to take them in.”

Nick said that he thought it would be better if the council provided temporary housing which could be used for people who were at risk of homelessness so that they could be shown how to look after their homes and used as a stepping stone to getting a more permanent home.

“What I keep seeing, and it has been in the Big Issue, is that in other parts of the country they are using shipping containers for housing. It is temporary and would help. They have done that in different places and it seems to help.”

The council explained at an all member briefing last week that in 2016 the council had 9,500 approaches from households who felt they were at risk of homelessness.

It also said that the council accepted around 300 households a year as homeless and were classed as a priority need.

However the council said that there is much more being done now in helping those at risk of homelessness and highlighted the Nos Da Kernow project which had resulted in 162 preventions of homelessness in its first year.

The council has also been granted £437,489 to tackle rough sleeping from the government’s rough sleeping initiative. The money will be used to fund accommodation, cold weather provision and outreach workers.

That funding has been welcomed by Truro and Falmouth MP Sarah Newton who said: “No one should live on the streets. It’s vital we get those already sleeping rough into accommodation and stop others from ending up homeless in the first place.

“The causes of homelessness are challenging – from mental health problems to addiction – but this money will help us to provide effective outreach, emergency accommodation and assessment for people now and those at risk when the temperature drops this winter.

“It is a first key step in this Government’s commitment to eliminating rough sleeping for good.”