Shelter says 309,000 people will spend Christmas homeless – as it unveils fundraising campaign

Providing opinion without evidence is called lying. It's what shelter do best since the mainstream media do not apply journalism verification to their output presumably in the misguided belief that a charity has some integrity being well meaning people.

For example "packed into damp and dirty B&B’s and hostel rooms, which are traumatising children and making people desperately ill"

Where is any evidence that B&B operators would provide "damp and dirty B&B’s" and still have a viable business?

My experience of staying at B&B’s around the UK over many years is that none were "damp and dirty" at all. A shelter lie.

B&B’s are regularly inspected and subject to complaints to Trading Standards. A regulated industry.

Where is any evidence of "traumatising children and making people desperately ill" or is that just lobby speak that ups the ante for the gullible audience...

The fundamental issue is that they have no insight into the effect of their toxic lies on the PRS and the further imbalance to supply and demand that their activities have caused.

It's not just that they are well meaning fools who are ineffective. They are competent lobbyists who are not accountable for the harm they cause.

Government and shelter bashing landlords will not help the situation will it .if you are not convinced look at the figure these speak for themselves , no matter how these people want to massage them or manipulate them to fit their agenda the simple fact is 100s of thousands of landlords are leaving prs.

Reply to the comment left by Old Mrs Landlord at 15/12/2023 - 18:38
And St Mungos let the homeless bring their doggies!

Reply to the comment left by Alexandra at 16/12/2023 - 14:07
M&S CEO reply:... we also support other charities including Macmillan, Bdeast Cancer Now, WWF, RBL...

Reply to the comment left by Alexandra at 16/12/2023 - 14:07
Well, they sound well worthy of support. I think they are a real charity, too, not a government-subsidised lobbying body and legal advice service like Shelter, although the housing association section, in common with other HAs, probably receives some public funds.

Reply to the comment left by Martin Roberts at 15/12/2023 - 17:36
You are correct. My daughter is a Masters student and works at B&Q on the till to help make ends meet. She knows what I think about Shelter having had them advise my non-paying house trashing benefit tenants to make up things and sue me when I served them with notice.
Anyway she told me that she has had quite a few customers donate to Shelter and they always make comments like "It must be horrible living on the streets at this time of year". There is a real belief that they are actually housing people.

Reply to the comment left by JamesB at 17/12/2023 - 09:10
In every walk of life you don't want the excellent to become the enemy of the good. So you don't want the tiny, rich minority of landlords and property owners able to upgrade their properties to EPC category A to become the enemy of landlords whose property is at Band D...or you'll drive them out of the PRS.

And at the same time you don't want the awful to be the enemy of the good. The tiny minority of landlords who rent out awful properties (some of whom are in the social housing sector) are used by the likes of Shelter to attack the majority of landlords who do something socially useful.

Shelter also diverts funds away from charities who do genuinely house people, and may be worthy of some support.

And because that's what Shelter does, nobody should be supporting Shelter or any retailer that supports Shelter. Shelter should also never be in receipt of public funds generated by the taxpayer (including landlords who pay tax).

Reply to the comment left by JamesB at 17/12/2023 - 09:10So 'M&S CEO reply:... we also support other charities including Macmillan, Breast Cancer Now, WWF, RBL' means I'm smart enough to run a Retail conglomerate but not smart enough to tell what a Lobby business or a Charity that invests in solutions looks like.
It's clear that the financial status of 'Charity' is not primarily for Political Lobbying.
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/263710
How the charity helps:
Makes Grants To Organisations
Provides Services
Provides Advocacy/advice/information
Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
Other Charitable Activities
Unclear which of these corresponds to Lobby Government but Advocacy could be that. A long way from an open and transparent statement of their 'object'[ives] in my opinion:
TO PLAY A CREATIVE PART IN THE LIFE OF THE NATION BY RELIEVING HUMAN SUFFERING IRRESPECTIVE OF COLOUR, CREED OR CLASS AND FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES: (I) TO RELIEVE HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS AMONG HOMELESS PEOPLE AND AMONG THOSE IN NEED WHO ARE LIVING IN ADVERSE HOUSING CONDITIONS. (II) TO MAKE MONIES AVAILABLE TO HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER BODIES (WHETHER CORPORATE OR NOT) WHOSE AIMS BEING CHARITABLE ARE THE RELIEF OF SUCH HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS. (III) TO RELIEVE POVERTY AND DISTRESS (IV) TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC CONCERNING THE NATURE, CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF HOMELESSNESS, HUMAN SUFFERING, POVERTY AND DISTRESS AS AFORESAID AND TO CONDUCT AND PROCURE RESEARCH CONCERNING THE SAME AND TO MAKE AVAILABLE THE USEFUL RESULTS THEREAFTER TO THE PUBLIC.
However there is a long list of Trustees to contact..
https://england.shelter.org.uk/what_we_do/our_people
The Charities Commission, purposes and rules includes
Public benefit
..you should:
- be clear about who should benefit from your charity and what these benefits are
- make sure that any private benefits to individuals or organisations are necessary, incidental and in the interests of the charity
- manage any risk of harm to beneficiaries and the public that might arise from your charity’s work
I find the last one relevant in that Landlords are within 'the public', and shelter lobbying clearly is doing us harm..

Reply to the comment left by PAUL BARTLETT at 19/12/2023 - 16:17
So Shelter receives £14.5 million from government. That's about 20% of total income (but it doesn't house anybody).

Shelter spends £28 millions pounds on raising funds.

Shelter claims to spend £17.45 million pounds on 'charitable activities'. But it doesn't actually house anybody.

And what Shelter spends on 'charitable activities' isn't much more than what it receives from government (without actually putting a roof over anybody's head at all).

It isn't really effective as a housing charity because it doesn't house anybody.

And you don't have to be the Chief Executive of a large retailer, a share holder in a large retailer or the manager of a pension fund to understand that that's not an efficient organisation.

What a waste of public money.

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 19/12/2023 - 16:26Another little gem from the shelter Charities Commission listing is:
Area of benefit
The area the charity can operate in, as set out in its governing document.
NOT DEFINED