ORGANISATIONS which help homeless people find accommodation will be given the chance to nominate more people for council houses.

Hostels such as St Paul's in Tallow Hill had the number of people it could nominate for council accommodation increased at Worcester City Council's housing board meeting.

Housing officers supported the rise because they believed tenants who went through the rehabilitation programme with the hostels were more likely to complete their tenancy.

People who were re-housed from the waiting list quickly might not have completed the programme and this could affect their ability to manage a tenancy on their own, said officers.

Those candidates nominated by organisations such as St Paul's would be given priority over other people on the waiting list when they had finished the rehab scheme.

"If we take them when they are ready to move there is a better chance of them completing the tenancy agreement," said Sue Jackson, head of housing at the city council.

Councillors raised questions about how these nominations would work with the current waiting list.

"There is a real danger of running two lists here," said Coun Stephen Inman.

Coun Inman also raised concerns some of the new organisations given nominations, such as the Foyer Project and Worcester Welfare Rights, did not know the candidates as well as groups like St Paul's and were less well-informed to make a nomination.

The council decided to increase the number of nominations for a six-month period with the option to review afterwards.

St Paul's Hostel, which was entitled to make eight nominations, will now be able to make 14 a year.

Maggs Day Centre and Worcester Welfare Rights, which previously had no right to nominate, will now have six each.

The Foyer Project will now enjoy four a year. Previously it had none.