CHAT (Churches Housing Action Team) works throughout Mid Devon to help prevent homelessness.

At any one time there are up to seven rough sleepers in this area, but many more hidden homeless – often young people 'sofa-surfing' (sleeping on family or friends' sofas until asked to move on).

The shortage of social housing and affordable private rental properties is causing real hardship for people, especially with recent caps on Local Housing Allowance.

Mid Devon is an area of high housing cost and low wages; the average house is now 17 times the local average wage.

The council does a good job of helping those it has a statutory duty to help – but childless couples and single people can often find themselves with nowhere to turn when they hit hard times.

CHAT offers free, impartial housing advice, with a drop in service at Crediton Town Council offices every Tuesday afternoon from 2-4.30pm. This is available to anyone experiencing housing worries or difficulties.

In the last year housing advice saw 66 per cent more new clients than in the previous year – demand for their services is growing.

Floating Tenancy Support and a Youth Housing Project, which helps house young people from the Mid Devon area also helps prevent homelessness. After a presentation by Ruth Morley from CHAT to Crediton Congregational Church Youth Group where they heard about the Youth Housing Project and other services CHAT offers, they decided to help CHAT.

So Abi Down and Jess Lee organised a Christmas Fayre, with the support of youth worker Graham Harry at which they raised an impressive £150.

Recently Abi and Jess presented the cheque to Bob Wright who is a trustee of CHAT (see photograph) who said that he was pleased to accept this on behalf of CHAT and the Youth Group of the Congregational Church should be very proud of their achievement.