Families on verge of homelessness make up nearly half of calls to Shelter

Surge in emergency calls from households with children at risk of losing homes, figures show

Data released by Shelter shows 44 per cent of emergency calls to its helpline were estimated to be coming from families on the verge of homelessness (Rex)

Nearly half of calls to Britain's largest homelessness charity are from families on the brink of losing their homes, new figures show, fuelling fears that growing numbers of children will be left with nowhere to live this winter.

Data released by Shelter shows there has been an 8 per cent rise in the proportion of calls taken by the charity's helpline from people at risk of homelessness so far in 2018 compared to 2017.

Forty-four per cent of these emergency calls were estimated to be coming from families, with reasons including eviction notices from the landlord, falling into rent areas and a risk of domestic abuse or violence, the charity said.

Politicians and campaigners said the rise in emergency calls from families highlighted how the government’s measures to tackle the homelessness crisis were “simply not working”, despite repeated pledges from minister to get to grips with the problem.

The figures come after it emerged that the number of homeless people in the UK is soaring by a rate of more than 1,000 a month, with one in 200 Britons now without a permanent place to live.

Separate figures published earlier this year showed that more than 33,000 families in temporary accommodation were holding down a job despite having nowhere stable to live - a figure that has increased by 73 per cent since 2013.

Emily Dean, a helpline adviser for Shelter, said: “We’ve seen a rise in calls from the sharp end of the housing crisis. It’s definitely been getting worse in the last year, and we expect things to be especially bad over the winter months.

“We’re speaking to families who are really just a few days away from losing their homes and finding themselves with nowhere to go. This will be even tougher for people as the freezing nights start to close in.”

Melanie Onn MP, Shadow Housing Minister, said: “This shocking statistic illustrates how the government’s measures to tackle the homelessness crisis are simply not working.

“Changes to the benefit system, insecure rental laws and a shortage of low-cost homes are all leaving more and more people at risk of homelessness. The Tories need to wake up to the impact of their policies on the most vulnerable in society."

She pledged that a Labour government would "do things differently", saying they would "fix the cruel universal credit system, build a million new genuinely affordable homes and offer a new deal to renters with tenancy security at its heart to offer genuine hope to those facing homelessness".

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Heather Wheeler MP said: “No one should be left without a roof over their head, which is why we are investing more than £1.2bn to tackle all forms of homelessness.

“Our rough sleeping strategy, support for councils and those working on the front line are helping to get people off the street and into accommodation as we enter the colder winter months.

“We’re also making £9bn available to build more affordable properties as part of our commitment to build the homes our country needs.”