WOMEN are more likely to be affected by homelessness than men, Shelter revealed today.

A report by the charity found that 60 per cent of homeless adults in temporary accommodation are women, despite them making up 51 per cent of the population.

In the last 10 years, the number of homeless women in temporary accommodation has nearly doubled.

Shelter said that in 2011, 40,030 women were living in temporary accommodation, but the figure for this year is 75,410, an 88 per cent increase.

Polling commissioned by the charity found that women are 36 per cent more likely than men to be in arrears or struggling with housing costs. Single mothers face the greatest hardship, with almost one in three “constantly” struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

Domestic abuse was revealed as the third most common cause of homelessness, with a third of those interviewed by the charity having experienced it.

Research also found that lone mothers faced additional barriers to support, which some did not seek for fear of being separated from their children.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said that women were bearing the brunt of the escalating housing crisis and “being failed at every turn.”

She said: “No mother should have to choose between buying food or paying her rent. No woman should have to stay with her abuser or face the streets.

“The hike in living costs and cuts to universal credit mean it’s only going to get tougher for thousands of women barely hanging onto their homes.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities  spokesperson said that tackling homelessness was a government priority.