ANDOVER marked Homeless-ness Sunday with a special service culminating in the announcement that £42,500 has been raised to revamp a resettlement home for ten to 12 people in the town.

On Sunday more than 2,000 church and community groups across the country marked their commitment to work for homeless people and call for change to bring homelessness to an end.

In Andover, the Rev John Bolton led a service at the Baptist church in which the Trinity Trust handed over the cheque to Two Saints.

He recalled some of his dealings with the homeless in Andover over the years.

Mr Bolton added: "It's a dangerous business to live on the street and you certainly won't live to a ripe old age."

Also speaking at the service, Cllr Marion Kerley, portfolio holder for housing and social well-being, said: "Homelessness is miserable, stressful, involves hardship and is costly in terms of public money, and costly in terms of human relationships, child development and health.

"It could, of course, affect you or I, but in the main it affects the most vulnerable people in our community. These are people on low incomes, people with health problems, people with low literacy skills, people who are isolated, people that come from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes.

"The homeless figures in Test Valley are escalating at an alarming rate. In 2001/2 the council received applications from 269 homeless households.

"In the first six months of the financial year we received 209 applications.

"The council's philosophy has always centred around prevention.

"The best and most long-lasting solution must be the provision of new affordable homes.

"Test Valley is also working closely with a number of local advice and support agencies, said Mrs Kerley.

"There is, however, much to be done. We need to produce a detailed homeless strategy. We must reduce the number of families housed, temporarily in bed and breakfast accommodation.

"We need to gain the support of local communities in developing new affordable housing.

"We need to ensure we increase the number of affordable homes.

"This is not something that we, the council, can do alone; we need to enlist the full support of all sectors of our community in Test Valley, to combat our growing homeless problem."