Shelter warns alarming number of people in our region will be homeless this Christmas

Families face an uncertain winter as one in 81 people are homeless in Greater Manchester, according to the charity Shelter.

One in every 206 people in England is without a home, including 126,000 children. The charity is warning that it's set to get worse.

The chief executive of Shelter said the figures were "shameful" and warned that "with Covid protections now gone thousands more will be joining them".

The Government says tackling homelessness is an "absolute priority" and added it has committed more than £2 billion in funding over the next three years.

Of the more than 274,000 people believed to be homeless on any given night, 2,700 people are sleeping rough, nearly 15,000 single people are in direct access hostels and nearly 250,000 people are living in temporary accommodation - most of whom are families, Shelter said.

The charity warned that recorded numbers are likely to be an underestimate as some types of homelessness such as sofa surfing go undocumented.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "We predicted the pandemic would trigger a rising tide of evictions and our services are starting to see the reality of this now.

A spokesperson for the Government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "Tackling homelessness is an absolute priority for this Government which is why we have committed more than £2 billion in funding over the next three years.

"On top of that we're providing £375 million this year to prevent homelessness and have given councils in England £65 million to support people in rent arrears."