Almost half of school age children who have become homeless have been forced to move schools as a result of living in temporary homes, charity reveals.

Homelessness charity Shelter also found more than a quarter of households were moved more than an hour away from where they used to live and they are often required to move several times at short notice.

Shelter says £1.6bn was spent on temporary accommodation last year, a rise of 61% in five years, and that the figure continues to rise because of a lack of social homes and the cost of living crisis.

It is calling on the Government to unfreeze housing benefit to prevent many more families ending up in temporary accommodation and to build more social housing to end homelessness for good.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said: ‘Homeless families’ lives are being derailed as they’re shunted from one place to the next, often with little notice to pack up their lives and pull their kids out of school.

‘The Government’s total inaction on housing benefit and failure to build social homes means people are becoming homeless and staying homeless.’

Responding to Shelter’s research, Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ executive member for Regeneration, Housing & Planning, said: ‘These appalling figures are the latest evidence of the worsening homelessness crisis, which is hitting London particularly hard.

‘Boroughs do everything they can to help homeless families, but the fundamental problem is the chronic shortage of affordable housing.

‘The Government must use next week’s Budget to boost support for struggling households and to help councils deliver the affordable homes our communities are crying out for.’