More people facing homelessness, says Shelter

Some 100,000 children face waking up homeless on Christmas Day, says Shelter

The number of people on the brink of homelessness who have been helped by local councils has risen sharply over five years, says the charity Shelter.

Councils in England stepped in to help 205,100 households facing homelessness in the year to March, suggests Shelter's analysis of government data.

In 2009-10, the figure was 140,900, indicating a rise of almost 46%, according to the charity.

The government said it had spent more than £1bn on homelessness since 2010.

But Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb called the research "truly devastating".

'Unstable accommodation'

The charity says its own helpline took 450,000 calls over the past year, and a quarter were from people threatened with losing their homes within a month.

The figure for the previous year was 408,927. So there were 47,773 more calls this year - a rise of 12%, says the charity.

Mr Robb said too many cases involved families with children "teetering on the brink of homelessness".

He added the charity's own figures suggested 100,000 children would be "waking up homeless and in unstable temporary accommodation on Christmas morning".

"Sadly, the combination of our affordable housing shortage and cuts to welfare means that more and more parents are finding themselves struggling to keep a stable roof over their children's heads," said Mr Robb.

The charity says children in temporary accommodation can find it hard to cope at school.

One mother, Francesca, said her daughter became very tired because living in one room in a hostel meant she was disturbed by younger siblings at night.

"It was an incredibly difficult time for us," she said.

"My daughter's grades suffered because the baby would keep her up all night.

"It was also hard for her to keep her friendships going, because she couldn't bring any of them over to play."

'Chronic shortage'

The Department for Communities and Local Government said the government was spending more to combat homelessness.

"One person without a home is one too many, which is why we've recently announced in the Spending Review an increase to £139m over the next four years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping," said a spokesman.

"Since 2010, the government has provided more than £1bn to tackle homelessness and support vulnerable households, and statutory homelessness is now less than half the 2003-04 peak."

The Local Government Association said councils' efforts to find appropriate housing for everyone who needed it were made harder by "a chronic shortage of affordable homes, funding pressures and the growing demand for help highlighted in this report".

"It is important that councils have the funding and flexibilities to help those who find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness. Local authorities also need the power to invest in building more homes that local communities can genuinely afford," said a spokesman.