Rising rents and evictions leave thousands homeless this Christmas claims Shelter

Shelter is blaming evictions and rising rents for a surge in homelessness this Christmas.

According to the housing charity, 354,000 people in England, including 161,500 children, will spend Christmas without a home — a 14% increase in just one year.

Government data reveals 45% of families placed in temporary accommodation have been there for more than two years.

Extortionate private rents and rising evictions

A Freedom of Information request by Shelter reveals that one in 160 people in England are now homeless, up from one in 182 in 2023.

The research also shows that 326,000 people are living in temporary accommodation, marking a 17% increase in just one year.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “As the country prepares to wind down and celebrate the festive season in our homes, it’s unimaginable that 354,000 will spend this winter homeless – many of them forced to shiver on the wet streets or in a mouldy hostel room with their entire family.

“Across England, extortionate private rents and rising evictions combined with a dire lack of genuinely affordable social homes is trapping more and more people in homelessness. Parents are spending sleepless nights worrying about their children growing up in cramped and often damaging temporary accommodation, as weeks and months turn into years without somewhere secure for them to call home.

“Until the government builds the social homes needed to end the housing emergency for good, Shelter will be there for people facing the devastation of homelessness.”

Landlords selling up

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says the real cause of the homelessness crisis is landlords selling up.

According to the NRLA, 5,400 households in the private rented sector (PRS) in England were forced to seek council support after their landlord decided to sell.

This figure has since risen to 7,130 households between April and June 2024.

The NRLA is urging the government to reform the way rented housing is taxed to encourage the supply of new, decent-quality rental homes and restore confidence in the rental market.

According to Shelter, London has the highest rate of homelessness, with one in 47 people in the capital now homeless. The total number of homeless people in London has risen by 12% in just one year, reaching 187,000. Newham has the highest rate in the city, with one in 18 people homeless.

Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils’ executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “London is the epicentre of a national homelessness emergency, with vast numbers of families set to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.

“The impact of homelessness on individuals – especially children – is devastating and the pressures on local services are unsustainable. We need urgent action to turn the crisis around.”

London Councils warns that homelessness in the capital has become “utterly unsustainable,” with £4 million being spent every day on housing people in temporary accommodation.

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