New research shows over 270,000 people homeless in England this winter
The number includes thousands of children
Last updated 9th Dec 2021
There are concerns that a "rising tide" of evictions could lead to a worsening of the homeless crisis in England.
New research from homeless charity Shelter has found that 274,000 people are without a permanent home in England on any given night, including 126,000 children.
Of the thousands of unsettled people, 2,700 are spending winter on the streets, with others in temporary accommodation such as hostels - the majority of which being families.
While the numbers have been deemed "shameful" by the charity's chief executive, Shelter has warned that the end of Covid restrictions would mean "thousands more will soon be joining them".
In total, the charity discovered that 1 in every 206 people in England is homeless and is either sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation.
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In big cities such as London, homelessness is increasingly prevalent. In the capital, 1 in 53 people was homeless. This number remained high in other cities such as Birmingham (1 in 96) and Brighton and Hove (1 in 78).
Despite the shocking figures, the charity has said that their figures are an underestimate and that thousands of people sofa surfing to avoid the streets are going unreported.
Speaking about the rise in homelessness, chief executive of Shelter, Polly Neate said that they have been inundated with calls for help.
"We predicted the pandemic would trigger a rising tide of evictions and our services are starting to see the reality of this now," she said.
"We're flooded with calls from families and people of all ages who are homeless or on the verge of losing their home."