At least 354,000 people homeless in England today

At least 354,000 people homeless in England today

Shelter warns of a bleak winter for many as homelessness rises by 14% in a year

New research from Shelter shows at least 354,000 people in England, including 161,500 children, will spend Christmas without a home - a shocking increase of 14%, 44,500 people, in one year.

Shelter’s detailed analysis of official homelessness figures and responses to Freedom of Information requests reveals that one in 160 people in England are now homeless. This is up from one in 182 in 2023, owing to a sharp rise in people sleeping rough and families trapped in temporary accommodation. The research shows:

• 326,000 people are in temporary accommodation (17% increase in one year) - most of whom are in families with children.

• 3,900 people are sleeping rough on any given night (27% increase).

• There are a further 16,600 single people in hostels or other homeless accommodation

Record private rents combined with inadequate housing benefit, rising evictions and a lack of genuinely affordable social homes has resulted in homelessness soaring. Families who become homeless are usually placed in temporary accommodation by their local council, but all too often this accommodation is far from ‘temporary’, as the government’s own data shows that almost half (45%) of families have been there for over two years.

England’s chronic shortage of homes for social rent has left over 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists across the country. With so few social homes available, families who become homeless have little hope of moving into a safe and secure home anytime soon. Instead, thousands of families are living out of bags and suitcases, spending months crammed into B&B rooms, often sharing kitchens and bathrooms with strangers. People who are not entitled to homelessness accommodation often are forced to sofa surf with family and friends or sleep on the streets.

Shelter’s frontline services are doing all they can to support thousands of people facing homelessness this winter – from providing expert advice to families stuck in unsafe and unsuitable temporary accommodation, to giving emergency help to people at risk of having to sleep rough. The charity is asking the public to donate to its Urgent Appeal to help it be there for the thousands of people experiencing homelessness this winter.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said:“As the country prepares to wind down and celebrate the festive season in our homes, it’s unimaginable that 354,000 will spend this winter homeless - many of them forced to shiver on the wet streets or in a mouldy hostel room with their entire family.

“Across England, extortionate private rents combined with a dire lack of genuinely affordable social homes is trapping more and more people in homelessness. Parents are spending sleepless nights worrying about their children growing up in cramped and often damaging temporary accommodation, as weeks and months turn into years without somewhere secure for them to call home.

“Until the government builds the social homes needed to end the housing emergency for good, Shelter will be there for people facing the devastation of homelessness. But we cannot do it without the help of the public – your donations allow us to provide emergency help for those facing a night on the streets as well as give vital, expert advice and help to people to keep their homes.”

Sally, 43, is currently in temporary accommodation in Dorset with her 14-year-old daughter. She was made homeless earlier this year after being evicted. The family were placed in a room in a Travelodge after spending eight hours on the street. With Shelter's help, they were moved into a different hotel and are now in temporary accommodation in a one-bed flat, but they are still experiencing problems with the accommodation.

Sally said:“I’ve been through a lot in life with the loss of my sister and husband, but I have never experienced as much stress as I have this year being evicted and becoming homeless. I’ve always paid my rent on time but was still locked out of my home on the day the bailiffs came. I had to wait on the street for the whole day before me and my daughter were put in a hotel room by the council. It smelled like a urinal and was covered in pet hair, which made my chronic illness worse and left me very poorly. I’m grateful for Shelter’s support stepping in and getting us out of there.

“My daughter is autistic and the two most important things for her are routine and stability. These have been impossible to maintain while we’ve been homeless, which has been incredibly difficult for her, and she has run away countless times. Our current accommodation is unsuitable for my health needs, as I need a bath to manage the pain. We have a neighbour who shouts, bangs the doors and swears throughout the night, and the screams are scaring my daughter. The 24-hour laundry room that everyone in the block uses is behind our thin bedroom wall, so the noise of the machines keeps us awake.

“My daughter keeps telling me she can’t live in these conditions. We've been messed about for months and there’s nothing I can do about it. It makes me feel like our lives are worthless. I’m just going to have to put this year behind me and hope for a better 2025.”

Shelter’s research also looks at areas across England where homelessness is most acute:

• London comes out worst, with one in 47 people homeless in the capital. The total number of people homeless in the city has risen 12% in a year, to a total of 187,000 people. Newham has the highest rate with one in 18 people homeless.

• Outside of London, Slough is the local authority with the highest rates of homelessness with one in 51 people homeless, followed by Luton with one in 57 homeless and Manchester where one in 61 are homeless.

• The North East has the biggest annual increase of 53%, from 1,500 people to 2,300 people.

While Shelter’s analysis is the most comprehensive overview of recorded homelessness in England, the true figure is likely to be higher as some types of homelessness, like sofa-surfing, go unrecorded.

To donate to Shelter’s Urgent Appeal, visit shelter.org.uk/WinterAppeal

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