At Shelter, we believe that home is a human right. It’s our foundation and it’s where we thrive. Yet, every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency. We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.
Thousands of people sleep on the streets on any given night, and over 250,000 people are homeless, stuck in temporary accommodation. In total, 17.5 million people are impacted by the housing emergency, living in overcrowded, unstable or unaffordable housing.
Day in day out, we see people living and sometimes tragically dying on our streets. But homelessness also means people without a permanent home. This could mean living in cramped and unstable temporary accommodation: in hostels, bed and breakfasts or sofa-surfing.
Successive governments have failed to provide the good quality, stable social housing people need, leaving millions shut out and struggling to find a secure home. People are crammed into unsafe housing – places that are riddled with mould or damp that makes them sick. Private renting lacks regulation, leaving renters facing insecurity, the threat of unfair eviction and unsustainably high rents. And when people struggle, our welfare system is too weak to support them.
Discrimination is also a real problem. People on low incomes or receiving benefits, people of colour, those with a disability, refugees and single parents, or people who are LGBTQ+ are more likely to be affected by the housing emergency – leading to homelessness for some.
The support we offer to those experiencing homeless includes:
- Local – Our advice and support services offer one-to-one, personalised help with housing issues and homelessness.
- Online – On our website, find expert information about everything from reclaiming your deposit to applying as homeless, or speak to an adviser over webchat.
- Over the phone – Our free emergency helpline offers urgent advice if you are homeless, have nowhere to stay tonight or are at risk of harm or abuse in your home.
- Legal – Our solicitors provide free legal advice and attend court to help people who’ve lost their homes or are facing eviction.
Child and family homelessness
| Region? | X families are currently homeless in (AREA)? | The number of homeless families in (AREA) has increased by X% over the last year | X children are currently homeless in (AREA)? | The number of homeless children has increased by X% over the last year | X families became homeless last year in (AREA) | A family becomes homeless every X minutes?in (AREA) | X families become homeless every day?in (AREA) |
| West Midlands | 4,580 | 19% | 12,140 | 19% | 6,180 | 85 | 17 |
| England? | 59,200 | 0.5% | 131,370 | 10% | 42,832 | 12 | 117 |
Overall homelessness
| Region? | X households are currently homeless in (AREA)? | The number of homeless families has increased by X% over the last five years in (AREA) | X households became homeless last year in (AREA) | A household becomes homeless every X minutes? in (AREA) | X households become homeless every day? in (AREA) | X people sleep rough on a given night in (AREA) |
| West Midlands? | 6,730 | 73% | 17,590 | 29 | 48 | 250 |
| England? | 104,510 | 29% | 153,180 | 4 | 419 | 3,069 |
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