Almost 90,000 children among 'rising tide' of London homeless

Almost 90,000 children in London are without a home this winter, according to a charity that warned it has been "inundated" with calls to its emergency helpline from people facing eviction.

Around 170,000 people in London are homeless, including more than 86,000 children, according to research carried out by Shelter.

One family who have lost their home are living in a cramped outbuilding in the garden of a hostel in east London.

Maintenance worker Tomasz, his wife and young children were evicted in August after being priced out of private renting, despite him working long hours.

Tomasz has been living in an outbuilding in the garden of an emergency hostel in Ilford with his wife and young children since August

The family has to leave the cramped outbuilding every time they want to use the toilet and bathroom in the main hostel building.

"A lot of the time the kids have to sit on the bed to eat and everything is in boxes," Tomasz said.

"This Christmas I’m telling the kids that Santa will still be able to find them,

"I’m trying to make it better by putting up a small Christmas tree on the shelf and a Christmas light in the window.

"I want to try and make it as normal as possible but it’s so stressful and depressing."

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Shelter called the situation "shameful" and warned that an end to Covid protections means "thousands more will be joining them."

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

"We’re flooded with calls from families and people of all ages who are homeless or on the verge of losing their home."

London showed the highest rates of homelessness in England in Shelter's new report, with one in every 53 people without a home in the capital.

Newham was named the borough with the highest rate of homelessness, with one in 22 people homeless.

Worst 3 London boroughs for homelessness:

  • Newham: 1 in 22 people homeless

  • Kensington and Chelsea: 1 in 29 people homeless

  • Haringey: 1 in 31 people homeless

Outside the capital, more than 274,000 people are homeless in England and Shelter warned that recorded numbers are likely to be an underestimate as some types of homelessness go undocumented.

Homeless figures across England:

  • Over 274,000 believed to be homeless on any given night

  • 2,700 people are sleeping rough

  • 15,000 single people are in hostels

  • 250,000 people - mostly families - are living in temporary accommodation

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

A spokesperson for the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities added: "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."

For more information or to donate to Shelter’s Winter Appeal, visit shelter.org