We had to live in our car

Yet for two months this year, Andrew Minchington, 19, and his partner Charlene Thompson, 18, were forced to spend their weekends sleeping rough in Andrew's Vauxhall Astra as they had nowhere else to go.

Andrew from Millbrook and Charlene, who used to live in Upper Shirley, were forced into their unenviable position in April.

Andrew explained: "Before we got together, I was staying at my house and did not get on very well with my mum. We were always arguing and she kept throwing me out."

Even before he met Charlene, Andrew would often spend the night in his Vauxhall rather than go back home.

But the situation became even worse when the couple got together.

They tried living with Andrew's mum for a while but things did not work out. In desperation, the couple first tried living with Andrew's gran but were forced to live in Andrew's Vauxhall at weekends.

Andrew said: "It was not very healthy. I went for days without a wash. I could always go back for something to eat with my mum but I could not stay - there was always conflict."

For Charlene, the situation was little better. She and Andrew also tried living at Charlene's house but with nine other adults already there, there was simply no room for the young pair at weekends.

The couple would park the car up where ever they could. But apart from the cramps, the physical discomfort and the lack of hygiene, they were always in fear of attack from yobs.

Charlene said: "We stayed awake most of the night. It was not easy to get to sleep. There was just no room."

What made matters worse was that both Andrew and Charlene had no permanent address - making it impossible for either to get jobs. Their plight would have become even more serious had it not been for Andrew, who eventually looked for help from the City Council's youth advice service No Limits.

From there, the council's housing services team stepped in and their lives underwent a dramatic change.

They were put in touch with a housing adviser who specialises in finding homes for people in dire housing need.

The council's service links private landlords with potential tenants who, for one reason or another, have difficulty qualifying for council or housing association homes.

One such landlord is Jenny Mulholland, who owns 12 properties in the city.

Jenny said she overcame her initial reluctance over renting to poorer tenants after they turned out to be better tenants than well-off residents in most cases.

Both she and her husband, Clive, buy former local authority properties which they repair to a high standard before letting them to low income individuals and couples.

She said: "Our very first property was an ex-local authority home in Millbrook. We were very worried about what would happen to the flat and what tenants would be like.

"What we have found is that tenants like these are extremely careful with their properties and they make them home straight away. It is rewarding in many ways. When you rent a flat to somebody privately, they have a completely different attitude."

It is a little-known fact that local authorities today are still not allowed to build new council houses, a legacy from the Thatcher government of the 1980s which also introduced the famous "right to buy" initiative for council house tenants.

The right to buy allowed council house owners to buy their council homes at knockdown prices - while at the same time forbidding local authorities from spending money from the proceeds of the sales on building new council homes.

The net result has been a shortage of council homes - and a spiralling number of homeless across the country. In Southampton, the situation is made worse by soaring house prices putting the cost of even a one-bedroom flat out of the reach of most young people.

A three-bedroom semi-detached house in Southampton now costs about £180,000 with a one-bedroom flat costing around £135,000.

Back in 1990, 375 people were accepted as homeless and in "priority housing need" in Southampton. By 2002 - the last year for which figures are available - that number had soared to 779.

Between 1990 and 2002 city housing bosses had to deal with 7,500 households which were declared homeless.

Two-thirds of those households were families with children. And with no new council house building and only 18,000 council homes available, it is little wonder that city housing bosses are turning to the private sector to help out with the city's chronic housing shortage.

Southampton City Council's advice services (housing advice service, welfare rights and money advice service) offer a package of confidential, impartial advice and information on a broad range of housing issues including access to social housing, the private rented sector, home ownership and welfare benefits.

However, the principal job of the housing service is to help people on low incomes get a roof over their heads. Last year, they helped 50 families and 31 single people find homes for rent in the private sector by matching landlords to people in housing need.

Many potential low-income tenants have problems raising a deposit for their homes. But help is at hand with the council's "bond" scheme.

The bond is not a deposit but guarantees a payment of up to £500 from council coffers to landlords if a tenant damages property.

Howard Wilkinson, team leader for the council's advice services team, said: "Anything could happen to you which would make you homeless. Your relationship could break down, you could suffer severe ill health. You just can't tell what will happen.

"People discriminate against you if you are not in a good job or not working."

Southampton City Council's Cabinet member for housing and homes Councillor Paul Russell said: "The main aim of the service is to prevent homelessness. With the ever-increasing housing prices in this part of the country, purchasing a home is just not an option for many people nowadays and renting from a private landlord is often the first rung on the housing ladder.

"We understand that this can be problematic and stressful, and that is why we are here to offer confidential, impartial advice to anyone and, in particular, to people requiring help and support in the private rented sector."

As for Charlene and Andrew, both are now in touch with the employment service. As yet, neither knows what they want to do for a living but they are anxious to do as much work experience as possible before deciding on future careers.

For the first time, the future looks positive for the pair. Andrew said: "When we were told we had somewhere it was the best thing that had happened all year. It is all cosy in our flat now. We have a bed - and it even has covers. I have gone on courses on how to fill in application forms and I have even had a CV done for me."