THE number of homeless people in Malvern has halved in a year after housing chiefs employed an officer dedicated to tackling the problem.

The dramatic drop is revealed in Elgar Housing Association's performance annual performance report, which shows the number of applications received for help from people who were either homeless or under threat of it has dropped from 303 in 2004/05 to 152 in 2005/06.

The housing provider has been required to address homelessness on behalf of Malvern Hills District Council since it took over the authority's housing stock in 1995.

The council's head of housing Keith Parry said he was delighted with the news, adding that it was down to the financial support it had received from the Government.

The Government is providing the district with £50,000 a year to tackle homelessness, which has allowed Elgar Housing to employ a housing prevention officer.

They started about 18 months ago and their role has been to help people at threat of being made homeless if, for instance there are disuptes between landlords and tenants or domestic issues between parents and children.

Mr Parry said the post had proved such a success that the council would continue to fund it via the Government grant until August 2007.

He said: "We're very pleased with the results which really speak for themselves.

"It shows the staff member is making a huge difference and we're keen to help continue that support initiative."

The report also revealed the main reason for homelessness during 2005/06 was family/ friend exclusion (32 per cent of cases) and rehousing took an average of 51 days for those accepted as homeless.

No one was available to comment from Elgar Housing Association.

The matter was discussed at a meeting of the district council's executive committee meeting held on Tuesday, June 20.