No home this Christmas for 80,000 children

An investigation by Shelter using government figures suggests that 80,000 children in Britain will be homeless this Christmas.

Its report - which says that more families with children are living in B&Bs in England than at any time in the last decade - comes as the charity launches a special Christmas appeal for donations to help meet an expected heightened demand for its services.

In interviews with 25 families, around half said their children had seen disturbing incidents, such as open drug use and threats of violence. The majority of families interviewed said they felt unsafe in their emergency accommodation which was often cramped with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said the findings were shocking and that such things should not be happening in 21st century Britain. "No child should be homeless, let alone 80,000. But tragically, with more people struggling to make ends meet and homelessness on the rise, we’re bracing ourselves for an increase in demand from families who desperately need our help," he said.

"Our advisers will be working with families facing homelessness every day this Christmas to help them find a safe place to live and get back on their feet – but we urgently need more support this year to be there for these children."

Last month a a Shelter and YouGov poll revealed that more than half of working families are struggling with their rent or mortgage and identified various national 'hotspots' where the risk is especially high including Manchester, Bristol, East London, Norwich and Newcastle.