A flagship project to help families at risk of losing their home has been launched in Hackney by housing charity Shelter.

Last year 618 families were declared homeless in the borough, equating a rise of 19 per cent from 520 the previous year.

The Hackney Family Service aims to tackle this problem, and will offer intensive support to those most at risk of homelessness, and housing advice to hundreds more.

With funding from the charitable Berkeley Foundation, Shelter support workers will help families with a range of problems to help them keep their home, from advice on how to back into work, how to access to the right health care and mental health support, and managing rent arrears and family finances.

Connie Cullen, service manager at the Hackney Family Service, hopes the project will make a lasting difference.

“It can take just one thing, like a serious illness, to tip anyone of us into a downward spiral that puts our home at risk,” she said.

“And without a stable home it can be almost impossible to get back on your feet. “Homelessness is often a symptom of much deeper problems, so by helping to tackle the underlying reasons that put a family’s home at risk we want to stop them from going through the trauma of homelessness.”

For more information about weekly housing advice sessions, which will take place at various locations across the borough, call 0344 515 1447.