Over 100,000 children in Britain will wake up homeless this Christmas day, according to Shelter.
New research carried out by the charity has revealed that the number of children who will be without a permanent home this Christmas has reached 109,000-- the equivalent of four children for every school in the country.
The charity also found that the number of children living in temporary accommodation is at its highest level since 2008 and the number of families living in B&Bs has trebled over the last five years.
In the last year alone the number of homeless children has risen by 15,000.
Shelter’s research, carried out by interviewing 20 families living in B&Bs and hostels, revealed children living in unfit and often dangerous conditions.
They heard reports of children seeing their parents being physically attacked, being exposed to drug and alcohol abuse, and having strangers enter their rooms without permission.
This has led, in many cases, to children’s emotional wellbeing and development being badly affected, with reports of bed-wetting, problems with speech, anxiety, and distress.
Alison Mohammed, director of services at Shelter, said: ‘There’s nothing more heart-breaking than hearing the voice of a parent who’s desperately trying to keep a roof over their children’s heads.
‘But the sad fact is, almost every day, we hear from families who’ve fallen on hard times and found themselves living in a single cramped room of a B&B or hostel, unable to give their children the environment they need to grow and thrive in.’
‘Worrying about your child’s safety every day,’ Ms Mohammed continued, ‘eating dinners on the floor, and sharing beds – this is no way for a family to live. But sadly we know we’re going to have even more families coming to us who are facing the reality of Christmas without a place to call home.’
‘That’s why we urgently need the public’s support to help us make sure we can be there for more homeless families this Christmas’, she added.
