What are your children worried about this Christmas?

One in ten renting adults say their children worry about becoming homeless – these very adult fears are not what any parent would want their child to feel, writes Polly Neate

‘For some, the worries are deeper and much more sobering’

What are children worried about this Christmas? Which presents will be under the tree and what family members will visit? For some, the worries are deeper and much more sobering.

I hope all of us can agree no child should spend their Christmas holidays anxious about becoming homeless. But our research shows that right now 200,000 children living in privately rented homes are under threat of being evicted this winter. One in five renting parents say their children know they are struggling to pay the rent, and one in 10 say their children worry about becoming homeless.

These very adult fears are not what any parent would want their child to feel. Parents like Kat, who tells us her eight-year-old son knows they’re being evicted, says he understands this is the last Christmas they’ll spend in their home. She says he’s scared. She’s trying to make this Christmas magical because she doesn’t know where they’ll be in the new year.

When you’re struggling to pay your rent or have an eviction notice hanging over you, the worry can be all-consuming. It hangs over every day. The stress creeps into every inch of the house and affects everyone in the family.

Like Kat, nearly a third of private-renting parents say their housing worries will make it hard to enjoy Christmas. Many will be thinking about what happens when the bailiffs come; what will they tell their children when they take them out of school; where will they go – and whether their next home going to be a homeless hostel.

Over the past couple of years, the pandemic has wrought havoc on the finances of private renters. Those working in lower-paid service jobs that have been more affected by the restrictions have been especially badly hit by job losses and cut hours. With the £20 uplift to universal credit stripped away, and the furlough scheme over, the festive season is looking impossible for many as living costs surge. Fuel and food bills are rising steeply, and average private rents are the highest on record.

Nearly a quarter of private-renting parents say they will struggle to afford their rent this Christmas. Every purchase is weighed down with stress, every decision a heavy burden. When is switching the heating on essential? Where can you buy the cheapest bread? How do you tell the school you’re worried about feeding your children in the holidays?

The eviction ban put in place at the beginning of the Covid crisis ended in the summer, and now eviction notices are dropping on doormats and bailiffs are working their way through the list. The extension to notice periods, a temporary lifeline that offered more time to resolve financial problems or find somewhere else, has also been removed. People have been left with little protection, with no safety net. They’re on their own.

The government did provide councils with an emergency relief fund for renters in the autumn, but it isn’t reaching everyone in arrears who needs it. Around 55,000 children, along with their families, have already been evicted in the last three months. Many more are set to follow.

Homelessness is a real risk for the children who lose their homes. Around 126,000 children are already homeless in England, and will spend this Christmas living in temporary accommodation in places like emergency hostels, living out of one cramped room and sharing bathrooms and kitchens with strangers.

At Shelter, we know how hard it can be to find another private rental, especially if you’ve already been hit financially. We also know how widespread DSS (Department of Social Security) discrimination is – where landlords or letting agents won’t rent to you if you claim housing benefit.

Some parents simply won’t be able to find or afford anywhere to live. When their eviction notice finally runs out, they will have to pack their belongings and sit in a council waiting room, waiting to be placed in whatever emergency accommodation might be available that night.

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With Omicron spreading, the risk of becoming homeless is an even more terrifying prospect. Our emergency helpline is already receiving more calls about eviction than it did before the pandemic. Thousands of families are teetering on a cliff edge.

The government needs to intervene to keep people safe in their homes. We urgently need more support for renters to protect them from eviction this winter.

In the meantime, our expert advisers will continue to work seven days a week providing free expert support and advice to anyone facing homelessness. But we need the public’s support to keep answering those calls and helping as many families as possible to keep the bailiffs at bay.

Please visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate to give what you can

Polly Neate is chief executive of Shelter