More than 2,000 people will be homeless in the North East region this Christmas, according to new figures.
An annual report from national housing charity Shelter has revealed that at least 2,300 people across the region, including around 800 children, will spend Christmas without a home.
The number includes nearly 2,200 people in temporary accommodation, most of whom are in families with children, along with more than 80 people sleeping rough on any given night, as well as other types of homelessness.
The report, which analyses official homelessness figures and responses to Freedom of Information requests, reveals that Darlington has the highest rate of homelessness in the North East.
An estimated 160 people are homeless in the area, including nearly 60 children, or one in every 667 residents.
See how your area compares with our interactive map:
Shelter say that record private rents combined with inadequate housing benefit, rising evictions and a lack of genuinely affordable social homes has resulted in homelessness soaring.
Families who become homeless are usually placed in temporary accommodation by their local council, but all too often this accommodation is far from temporary.
The government’s own data shows that almost half (45%) of families have been there for over two years.
The chronic shortage of homes for social rent has left over 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists across the country.
With so few social homes available, families who become homeless have little hope of moving into a safe and secure home anytime soon.
Instead, thousands of families are living out of bags and suitcases, spending months crammed into B&B rooms, often sharing kitchens and bathrooms with strangers.
People who are not entitled to homelessness accommodation often are forced to sofa surf with family and friends or sleep on the streets.
Shelter say their frontline services are doing all they can to support thousands of people facing homelessness this winter – from providing expert advice to families stuck in unsafe and unsuitable temporary accommodation, to giving emergency help to people at risk of having to sleep rough.
The charity is asking the public to donate to its Urgent Appeal to help it be there for the thousands of people experiencing homelessness this winter.
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 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. But we cannot do it without the help of the public – your donations allow us to provide emergency help for those facing a night on the streets as well as give vital, expert advice and help to people to keep their homes.”
To donate to Shelter’s Urgent Appeal, visit shelter.org.uk/WinterAppeal
Local authority – Estimated total number of homeless people – Rate (one in x)
Darlington – 162 – 667
North Tyneside – 289 – 723
Middlesbrough – 191 – 753
Sunderland – 309 – 888
South Tyneside – 166 – 890
Newcastle upon Tyne – 335 – 896
Gateshead – 207 – 947
Stockton-on-Tees – 147 – 1,342
County Durham – 306 – 1,705
Northumberland – 121 – 2,650
Redcar and Cleveland – 48 – 2,844
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/map-shows-homelessness-near-you-30565692
