The Nomad Trust says it has been inundated with people looking for somewhere to stay over the Christmas period.

All 12 beds at the trust's night shelter on Monks Road in Lincoln have been taken since the middle of December.

It is a 50% increase in demand for the same period last year.

Supported accommodation

Most hostels and day centres provide only temporary shelter for the homeless without solving their underlying problems.

The trust says a more permanent solution needs to be found to tackle the problem of homelessness in the county.

The Nomad Trust's Acting Manager, Brenda Shields, said: "We see a need for a hostel run along the lines of a stepping stone to more permanent accommodation.

"But unfortunately like everything in life it is down to money and funding.

"At the end of the day the right accommodation needs to be found for these people and that usually means supported accommodation and there just isn't enough of that."