Half of calls to helpline for elderly relate to homelessness

More than half of the calls to a helpline for older people related to homelessness or housing problems, a charity has revealed.

Alone has called on the Government to designate a portion of all social housing units for use by older people, and has launched a petition to seek public support for the measure.

Alone’s annual report, released yesterday, stated that the number of older people coming to the charity in need of housing increased by 90% in 2014.