A investigation by the housing and homelessness charity Shelter reveals “shocking” conditions experienced by homeless families, as government figures show that more than 80,000 children in Britain will be homeless this Christmas.
For many this means emergency housing in bed and breakfast accommodation (B&B), where children face particularly difficult conditions. Shelter says the number of families living in emergency accommodation, often in a single room, is at a 10-year high.
Almost half of the families interviewed reported children witnessing disturbing incidents, including open drug use and threats of violence. One child was directly threatened by a man in her B&B after an argument over a shared bathroom. The majority of families interviewed by the charity said they felt unsafe in their emergency accommodation.
Shelter says its helpline receives thousands of calls every December from families at risk of losing their homes. The charity is launching an emergency appeal for donations to help its already-stretched services meet the heightened demand.
Shelter”s chief executive, Campbell Robb, called the findings “shocking”, and said that such things should not be happening in twenty-first 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.”
The Local Government Association (LGA) says the shortage of affordable housing made B&Bs the only option in some cases. Mike Jones, chair of the LGA’s environment and housing board, said: “No council ever wants to place a family in bed and breakfast accommodation but, with growing demand for help and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, this is sometimes the only option available to keep a family together with a roof over their heads.
“Shelter’s report highlights exactly why house-building needs to be a national priority. Government’s efforts to increase house-building must ensure that new affordable housing is built as part of developments.”
