This Christmas 309,000 people in England will be homeless, according to housing and homelessness Shelter, a climb of 40,000 people on last year.
Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said they face the holidays “in a tiny hostel room or freezing in a doorway”, and that it’s “appalling that the government has allowed thousands of families to be packed into damp and dirty B&B’s and hostel rooms, which are traumatising children and making people desperately ill.”
There are 140,000 children living in temporary homes. It comes as the cost of private renting is rising at the fastest rate since records began in 2006, according to the Office for National Statistics.
We want to hear from you. Are you stuck in temporary accommodation such as a hotel or B&B due to homelessness? How will you be experiencing the holidays this year? What will the impact be on you and your family’s plans?