120 North East children face spending Christmas homeless
Housing charity Shelter have launched a Christmas appeal, after their report reveals the number of families living in temporary accommodation is on the rise.
There's claims more North East kids will be spending this Christmas in danger as homelessness rises in our region.
New figures from housing charity Shelter show 120 kids here will spend the holiday homeless or in temporary housing.
The number of families living in emergency B&B and hostel rooms across the country has risen by 18% in just a year, as local councils battle to find homeless families anywhere else that is stable or affordable to go.
Tracy Guy, Shelter North East hub manager, said: *“News that 120 children face spending Christmas homeless in the North East will bring heartache to thousands of people across the region. But the sad fact is, fifty years since Shelter was founded, too many families still need our help.*
“Thankfully in the North East we don’t have any families in hostels or B&Bs, but almost daily at our Newcastle hub our advisers speak to parents desperate to find somewhere safe and affordable they can raise their family. Imagine losing your home and being forced to live in temporary accommodation, often for months on end, never knowing when you might have a place to call home again – this is the kind of emotional and mental turmoil no parent wants their child to endure.
“That’s why we urgently need the public’s support to help us to continue to be there for the families in the North East who’ll need us this Christmas. Join us and together we will not rest until every homeless child has a place to call home.”
With a new family in Britain becoming homeless every 10 minutes, Shelter is calling on the public to help support its frontline advisers as they grapple with the increasing demand for help from families fighting to stay in their homes.
To shed light on the harsh realities of modern day hidden homelessness, the charity carried out in-depth interviews with 25 families currently or recently living in emergency B&B’s, hostels or sofa-surfing.
Some of the investigation’s most shocking findings included:
- More than three quarters of families said they felt their accommodation was unsafe, with the worst accounts involving exposure to drug abuse, fighting, and strangers sleeping in the corridors. - Every family lived in a single room without any space for the children to play, and over half of parents also had to share a bed with their children. - Three-fifths of families had to share toilet and bathroom facilities, often in a poor and unsanitary condition, with other residents. - More than two-thirds of families said their room was in a state of disrepair, including reports of mould, broken beds and stained mattresses, as well as more serious hazards like sparking electrical sockets and windows that wouldn’t close.
The investigation also revealed the emotional and mental turmoil of living in these circumstances.
18 of the 25 families interviewed said their children’s mental and emotional health had been badly affected, with accounts of children becoming anxious, isolated from their friends and struggling to sleep.
Over half of parents said their children’s development was negatively impacted.
To support Shelter’s urgent Christmas appeal please visit www.shelter.org.uk.