Thousands of people will be homeless in Bristol this Christmas. An annual report from national housing charity Shelter has revealed that at least 3,900 people across the city, including more than 1,800 children, will spend Christmas without a home.
The number includes 3,800 people in temporary accommodation, most of whom are in families with children, along with nearly 70 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 Bristol has the highest rate of homelessness in the South West. The number of homeless people in the city works out at one in every 121 residents.
See how that compares with other parts of England with our interactive map:
Shelter says 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. 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.”
To donate to Shelter’s Urgent Appeal, visit here.
Chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, Councillor Barry Parsons, said: “The impact of homelessness can be destructive for both families and individuals, and can have a huge impact on all aspects of life. The increase in homeless presentations and the number of people sleeping rough in Bristol is stark and shows that prevention must be at the heart of our work.
“Bristol, like many other cities, faces challenges in housing demand and supply. This is one of the UK’s most expensive areas for private renting and there is a significant shortage of affordable accommodation.
“The scale of this challenge cannot be underestimated, and we must work alongside partners to ensure that we can reach a shared goal of ending rough sleeping.”