This winter, more than 309,600 people are homeless and wishing for a place to live.

As the housing crisis worsens, homelessness increases by 14 % annually.

At least 309,000 people in England will spend Christmas without a place to live, according to recent Shelter research. Nearly half of them ( 140, 000 ) are young people.

Our main findings are explored in this blog. On our website, you can read the entire report as well.

In England, there are more homeless people than ever.

Homelessness is notoriously challenging to study. Patchy data collection and the covert nature of homelessness frequently conceal its true scope.

Our research aims to demonstrate the true extent of homelessness in England by combining various data sources and conducting additional analysis.

Surprisingly, we discovered that one in 182 people in England are currently homeless.

a sharp rise over the previous year

The study also demonstrates a sharp rise in homelessness: over 38, 000 more people are homeless in England today than they were at the same time last year, an increase of 14 %. Every night, over 3, 000 people have trouble sleeping, which is 26 % more than just a year ago. There are currently 279,400 people living in temporary housing, an increase of 14 % over the previous 12 months.

This number is likely to be an underestimate of the actual number because many types of homelessness are not documented or underreported.

The housing crisis is affecting England as a whole.

One in 51 people are currently homeless in London, where the housing crisis is at its worst. Surprisingly, the analysis reveals that one in 20 Newham residents are currently homeless. There are other cities with high rates of homelessness besides London. In Manchester, one in 71 people currently live on the streets, and in Brighton and Hove, it is also true of 88 people. &nbsp, The map below displays the rates of homelessness in England’s local governments.

See the full report for more information.

In addition to the data

Over 306,000 people are behind these numbers, and their lives are being threatened by their struggle for a home.

One of them up until recently was Sky, a part-time civil servant. She spent five years living on the streets of London with her husband and their three children. They were moved to housing in shocking condition following a section 21″ no fault” eviction.

” The temporary housing we were given when we went without a place to live had terrible mold and leaks that dripped through the electrics.” In the morning, the mice that lived with us would eat all of our bread. Next to his bed, my son had mold. His health deteriorated as a result, and he found it difficult to breathe. He eventually developed skin issues and a cyst in his throat, which necessitated medication. &nbsp,

No human being should reside in such circumstances. On me, my kids, and our health, none of it was fair. The worst part is not knowing where I will go next or how long I’ll be staying in a temporary place. I used to simply drive away, sit in my car, and gaze upward. I believed that if I lost it, the entire family would do the same.

Sky is n’t by herself. More than three-quarters of those who are temporarily residing report that their accommodations are in poor condition, with one in five reporting a safety hazard. And shockingly, six out of ten parents claim that their child’s health has been harmed by being homeless.

What can be done to put an end to homelessness, then?

Please contribute to our urgent appeal if you can. nbsp: If we all band together to advocate for funding for the social homes we need to end the housing crisis, that is the only way to permanently end homelessness. However, in the interim, we want to assist more of the tens of thousands of homeless people, including families whose children are in danger of losing their temporary housing and those who are freezing on the streets. Because no one should experience homelessness by themselves.

By holding the government accountable for its promises, we can continue to advocate for real solutions to permanently end the housing crisis with your help. And we can join the thousands of people and families who are currently homeless on the streets and in temporary housing. People who are homeless are given the knowledge to enforce their rights by our advisors and support staff. &nbsp, Please make a donation if you can.

Join us in pressing the government to make an immediate investment in a new generation of social homes that are genuinely affordable and long-lasting. Please sign this letter asking the following government to fund this investment.

Published in https://blog.shelter.org.uk/2023/12/over-309600-people-homeless/