Groups representing the homeless are accusing the Government of victim blaming following proposals to penalise families who turn down social housing.
The new rules would see families who turn down two offers - barred from the housing waiting list for five years.
Anthony Flynn from Inner City Helping Homeless said housing would not be turned down if it was appropriate.
Mr Flynn said: "Families in some situations won't accept social housing accommodation because they are being uprooted from their original communities, schools, doctors and family.
"And we could be asking families to move miles away from where they had been generally located. The fact that we are looking to penalise people for this issue, putting them back for another five years on the social housing waiting list, is absolutely ridiculous.
