New research by Shelter shows more than 274,000 people are homeless in England right now, including 126,000 children.

The figures also show that one in 53 Londoners is homeless.

Shelter’s detailed analysis of official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures shows that one in every 206 people in England are currently without a home.

Of these, 2,700 people are sleeping rough on any given night, nearly 15,000 single people in direct access hostels and nearly 250,000 people are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families.

Covid protections such as the ‘Everyone In’ scheme, the eviction ban, and the boost to Universal Credit played a vital role in keeping people in their homes and suppressing homelessness during the pandemic.

Now Shelter is warning with these protections gone, living costs soaring and another uncertain winter ahead, there is a risk of the flood gates reopening and thousands more people losing their homes.

Shelter is calling on the public to support its frontline workers who have been inundated with calls to its emergency helpline from people facing homelessness this winter.

The charity says it’s hearing from people who are facing a night on the streets in freezing conditions after being turned away from emergency accommodation. As well as thousands of families in dire straits living in grotty hostel rooms where parents and siblings are forced to share beds, and there are only communal facilities.

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

The report also reveals the areas across England where homelessness is most acute:

• Outside of London, Luton is the area with the highest rate of homelessness with one in 66 people homeless.
• One in 78 people are homeless in Brighton and Hove.
• One in 81 people are homeless in Manchester.
• In the Midlands, one in 96 people are homeless in Birmingham.

While Shelter’s analysis is the most comprehensive overview of recorded homelessness in the country, the figure is likely to be an underestimate due to limited reporting. In addition, some types of homelessness go entirely undocumented, such as sofa surfing, meaning the true figure will be much higher.

Neate continued: “It is shameful that 274,000 people are without a home, and with Covid protections now gone thousands more will be joining them. A shoddy hostel room or a freezing cold doorway is no place to wake up on Christmas morning, but sadly so many people will.

“This winter the work of our frontline staff is as critical as ever. Our emergency helpline advisers work 365 days a year, doing everything they can to help people find a safe and secure home. By giving a little the public can help us do a lot – with their support we can keep providing support and advice to thousands of families facing homelessness this year.”

Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesperson, said: “These figures should be a wake-up call to the need for a cross-departmental government plan to tackle homelessness with long-term investment in prevention and services to support economically vulnerable people and households to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

“Looking ahead we need to get to grips with addressing the severe housing shortage the nation faces.

“By giving councils the powers and resources to build 100,000 social homes for rent a year, we can significantly reduce housing waiting lists and provide households with a secure and suitable home.

“We should also look at how tenants can access a more secure and affordable private rented sector, to help keep people in their homes.”

Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Planning, said: “London is the epicentre of the homelessness crisis. The combination of high housing costs and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on London’s economy means we face the highest homelessness rates in the country.

“Boroughs are doing all we can to support homeless Londoners but we need urgent action from the government. Ministers must ensure the welfare system prevents homelessness from occurring in the first place and we need far more investment in affordable housing.”