A BLUEPRINT to crack down on the "scourge" of homelessness in Southampton is to be launched by city housing bosses.

The new strategy follows figures revealed in the Daily Echo this week which show that the number of homeless people in the city has almost doubled in the last 12 years.

The number of homeless shot up from 375 in 1990 to 779 last year with city council housing chiefs predicting if nothing is done, the explosive growth will continue.

Among the measures the city council will use to tackle homelessness are:

Increasing the number of affordable homes that are built

Ensuring the council's housing register provides a realistic route into social housing

Removing substantial disrepair and serious hazards in private sector housing.

Other measures include improving access to good quality advice and assistance for people who are threatened with homelessness and developing measures to respond to the main causes of homelessness.

These include outreach work for women who have fled their homes after suffering from domestic violence and funding deposit and rent-in- advance schemes for youngsters whose parents are no longer willing to put a roof over their heads.

Members of the city's housing, communities and regeneration sub committee were told that key causes of homelessness were the loss of assured short hold tenancies, relatives and parents no longer being willing to accommodate young people and the breakdown of relationships.

But they were also told that although the council builds about 250 affordable homes every year the city needs 1,441 social homes per annum.

This leaves an annual shortfall of 1,191 cheap homes to rent in Southampton.

The council's Cabinet is due to discuss the strategy on July 28.