One in every 100 children in England will wake up homeless this Christmas, new research from the charity Shelter has revealed.
A new report from the charity – entitled This is not a home – has exposed devastating impact living in temporary accommodation has on children’s health, education and wellbeing.
The charity found that 120,710 children in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, which equates to one in every 100 children in the country.
For their new report, the charity recorded the experiences of more than 800 families with 1,600 children living in temporary accommodation throughout England.
It found that more than a third (35%) of homeless parents say their child(ren) do not have a bed of their own and are forced to share a bed with another family member.
The charity also learnt that almost half (45%) of school age children have arrived at school tired, late or hungry as a result of living in temporary accommodation.
One in four parents (26%) report their child or children being often unhappy or depressed as a result of living in temporary accommodation, and more than one in four parents (28%) say their children are finding it hard to make or keep friends.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘A grotty hostel or B&B is not a home, but this is where thousands of homeless children are forced to live. And many more children will be thrown into homelessness as their parents can no longer afford to keep a roof over their head.
‘The housing emergency is robbing children of a secure childhood. Thousands of homeless children are turning up to school too tired to learn – hardly surprising when one in three have to share a bed. Something has gone very wrong when children cannot play because their temporary accommodation is too cramped even for toys, and no friends are allowed to visit.
‘Shelter is doing everything it can to help the families who are trying to put on a brave face while experiencing the trauma of homelessness. But as the cost of living crisis deepens and more families need our services, we need the public’s support more than ever this Christmas.’
