Three-quarters of people in the region believe housing benefit should increase in tandem with rent rises.

The finding has emerged from a survey commissioned by charities Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Around 77 per cent of respondents in Yorkshire and Humberside also felt housing benefit was a practical way for Government to stop people experiencing homelessness in the first place.

Research published earlier this year by Crisis showed that housing benefit shortfalls meant that in many areas across the UK, there was little to no affordable private housing. The charity said this was pushing thousands of individuals and families to the brink of homelessness.

Now both Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are calling for urgent investment in housing benefit.

Jon Sparkes, for Crisis, said: “A safe and stable home is fundamental to our dignity and humanity.

“However, every day we hear of people losing their homes as the constant pressure of rising living costs becomes impossible to bear. Without addressing the root causes such as unaffordable rents, homelessness will continue to rise."

“Housing benefit is an important tool and could be the quickest and most effective way to prevent homelessness in the short term, but it is currently fundamentally flawed because of severe under-investment. Rates fall woefully short of the true cost of renting.

“Ending homelessness is truly within our capabilities and the Government must act now to deliver on its promises.”