274,000 people in England are homeless, with thousands more likely to lose their homes

More than 274,000 people are homeless in England right now, including 126,000 children, according to new research published by Shelter today.

Shelter’s detailed analysis of official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures shows that one in every 206 people in England are currently without a home. Of these, 2,700 people are sleeping rough on any given night, nearly 15,000 single people in direct access hostels and nearly 250,000 people are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families.

Covid protections such as the ‘Everyone In’ scheme, the eviction ban, and the boost to Universal Credit played a vital role in keeping people in their homes and suppressing homelessness during the pandemic. Now Shelter is warning with these protections gone, living costs soaring and another uncertain winter ahead, there is a risk of the flood gates reopening and thousands more people losing their homes.

Shelter is calling on the public to support its frontline workers who have been inundated with calls to its emergency helpline from people facing homelessness this winter. The charity says it’s hearing from people who are facing a night on the streets in freezing conditions after being turned away from emergency accommodation. As well as thousands of families in dire straits living in grotty hostel rooms where parents and siblings are forced to share beds, and there are only communal facilities.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “We predicted the pandemic would trigger a rising tide of evictions and our services are starting to see the reality of this now. We’re flooded with calls from families and people of all ages who are homeless or on the verge of losing their home.”

One of the families who have lost their home already is Tomasz, his wife and young children. They have been living in a shed in the garden of an emergency hostel in Ilford since being evicted in August. Tomasz is priced out of private renting despite working long hours as a maintenance worker. The bathroom in their cramped hostel room is broken and they have to use the main building’s shared bathroom, which scares his children as they have to go out in the dark at night.

Tomasz said: “In the room the main difficulty is the lack of space. A lot of the time the kids have to sit on the bed to eat and everything is in boxes. School work is such a difficulty. A lot of school homework needs internet, but we don’t have WiFi. I contacted school and told them what was happening so the kids don’t get in trouble. Everything is a challenge - last week I had to wait until 11 o’clock before I could make breakfast as there were so many people queuing up to use the facilities.

“This Christmas I’m telling the kids that Santa will still be able to find them. I’m trying to make it better by putting up a small Christmas tree on the shelf and a Christmas light in the window. I want to try and make it as normal as possible but it’s so stressful and depressing.”

Shelter’s new report also reveals the areas across England where homelessness is most acute:

• London comes out worst, with one in 53 people now homeless in the capital.

• Outside of London, Luton is the area with the highest rate of homelessness with one in 66 people homeless.

• One in 78 people are homeless in Brighton and Hove.

• One in 81 people are homeless in Manchester.

• In the Midlands, one in 96 people are homeless in Birmingham.

While Shelter’s analysis is the most comprehensive overview of recorded homelessness in the country, the figure is likely to be an underestimate due to limited reporting. In addition, some types of homelessness go entirely undocumented, such as sofa surfing, meaning the true figure will be much higher.

Polly Neate continued: “It is shameful that 274,000 people are without a home, and with Covid protections now gone thousands more will be joining them. A shoddy hostel room or a freezing cold doorway is no place to wake up on Christmas morning, but sadly so many people will.

“This winter the work of our frontline staff is as critical as ever. Our emergency helpline advisers work 365 days a year, doing everything they can to help people find a safe and secure home. By giving a little the public can help us do a lot - with their support we can keep providing support and advice to thousands of families facing homelessness this year.”

To donate to Shelter’s Winter Appeal and help give thousands of people fighting homelessness the urgent support, security and hope they need in the tough months ahead, visit shelter.org.uk/donate.

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