This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
HUNDREDS of children across Britain are made homeless every day, a new report by the Shelter charity warns.
New figures released by Shelter show that a child loses their home every eight minutes across the country.
The number of children, enough to fill two double-decker buses every day, from the Generation Homeless report shows that child homelessness is at its highest rate since 2006.
It is estimated at least 135,000 children will be living in temporary accommodation on Christmas Day.
Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said: “The fact 183 children become homeless every day is a scandalous figure and sharp reminder that political promises about tackling homelessness must be turned into real action.
“Day in, day out we see the devastating impact the housing emergency is having on children across the country. They are being uprooted from friends — living in cold, cramped B&Bs and going to bed at night scared by the sound of strangers outside.”
The impact of temporary accommodation such as emergency B&Bs and hostels, where 5,683 homeless families with children currently live, is also a main feature of the research.
The report found that one in 107 children in Britain were homeless and being housed in temporary accommodation.
Nationally, there is an average of five homeless children for every school in the country.
In Scotland alone, a child is estimated to be made homeless every 37 minutes with 14,043 losing their homes in 2018-19.
Meanwhile, in London, one in 24 children are said to be living in temporary accommodation.
Labour’s shadow housing minister John Healey said: “It is shameful that after 10 years of the Conservatives in government, 135,000 children will be without a home this Christmas.
“Rising homelessness is a direct result of decisions made by the Tories: slashing investment in new low-cost homes, refusing to help private renters and making huge cuts to housing benefit and homelessness services.
“A Labour government will end rough sleeping within five years and fix the root causes of rising homelessness with the biggest council and social housing programme since the 1960s, stronger rights for renters and extra funding for homelessness services.”
