Homelessness is becoming more and more of a cause for concern in our country and this has recently been recognised by a Dorset charity.

The Bus Shelter Dorset is taking action to tackle the area's growing problem by converting a double-decker bus into accommodation for rough-sleepers.

The campaign aims to encourage its guests to move into more suitable accommodation and plans to help them integrate back into society by supporting them with life skills, benefits, health and housing.

There will be space for 20 people, with the lower deck providing a volunteer sleeping area, kitchen and consultation area as well as a wood burner and seating area.

The scheme to help people in need is not being as well-supported as it should be. The council has refused permission for the bus to park at its car parks in Lodmoor Country Park and at the Pavilion.

Homelessness is such a problem in Weymouth alone and so, to me, it is perplexing as to why the council is not more congruent and offering more services such as these.

The Bus Shelter Dorset is a very proactive approach to taking first steps to really sort out this problem. It will help to get people off of the streets and get help, and this will benefit the local community also.

Local hotel and B&B owners have recently spoken out about the issue, claiming that it ‘puts guests off’ returning to the seaside town as the homeless ‘litter’ our seafront. The shelter bus being put into action would hugely benefit these businesses and could potentially draw more people to Weymouth.

Homelessness is a national problem as well as local. It is predicted to worsen in the next few decades, with an estimate of 575,000 people without homes by 2041 nationally and this is a figure that should not be infiltrating UK headlines in years to come.

More needs to be done, or this will become a saddening reality. Campaigns such as the Bus Shelter Dorset set a prime example of attitudes and actions that more need to adopt and take.

By Jasmine Cardiff