Shelter

Shelter Press Release 3 Sep 2025

New analysis from Shelter shows that 124,210 families in England faced homelessness in 2024/25 — equivalent to one in every 57 families — including 70,630 single-parent households, or one in every 24 single-parent families.

Drawing on the government’s latest statutory homelessness statistics, the research shows how quickly the housing emergency is spiralling out of control, with more families being pushed into homelessness and trapped in cramped and insecure temporary accommodation in England.

According to Shelter’s new analysis:

There has been a 10% increase in the number of families assessed by their local council as homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness compared to five years ago (2019/20).

The risk varies regionally, with London (24% increase) and the North East (31% increase) seeing particularly sharp rises, and single-parent families disproportionately affected across all areas of England

Lone parent families are four times more likely to face homelessness than families with more than one adult.

These figures coincide with the launch of a powerful new TV advert by Shelter and HSBC UK, highlighting the grim reality faced by families experiencing homelessness in temporary accommodation. Following one family's story, the advert follows the often-hidden struggles of families in temporary accommodation — with families stuck in grotty, unsafe accommodation where vital repairs go undone for months. Set to the iconic lyrics from Our House byMadness, the film contrasts the vital importance of a safe and secure home with the harsh realities faced by thousands of families who are trapped in temporary accommodation.

Angela Carruthers has been homeless for two years and is currently living in temporary accommodation in Birmingham.

Angela and her children have been moved three times since losing their home of 12 years. When the family moved into their current accommodation — late at night after a long shift at work — there was no electricity, and the boiler was broken. They spent five days without heating, hot water or power before repairs were finally carried out.

Angela was recently threatened with eviction again because, despite working full-time, she couldn’t keep up with the housing costs in her temporary accommodation. After contacting Shelter, Angela got the support she needed from a housing adviser — and was able to stay in the property.

Angela said: “We were in our home for over 12 years, and it was perfect. The kids loved it, their school and my work was down the road, everything just worked. Then the landlord sold up and we were evicted. I couldn’t get a viewing anywhere — the private rents were impossible.

“That’s when we ended up in temporary accommodation. It was freezing; no boiler, no heating, no hot water — we were washing with kettle water out of a bowl. It felt inhumane. I’m working full-time but still can’t cover the rent. I’ve had to borrow money just to feed my kids. We should be out living life, but we can’t. When I got an email saying we were being evicted again, I was at breaking point. I didn’t know how I could keep going. When I spoke to Shelter, they were the first people who really listened. They helped me stay in this property — just knowing someone was there, took some of the pressure off.”

Shelter’s emergency helpline manager, Nadeem Khan said: “It’s utterly disgraceful that across the country, more and more families are being pushed to the brink of homelessness. Soaring rents, low incomes, and a chronic shortage of social homes mean that even parents who work tirelessly to put food on the table are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

“Every day, we hear from people living with the constant fear that they could lose their home the moment an eviction notice drops through their letterbox. Many are skipping meals just to cover rent, cutting back on essentials, and making impossible choices simply to stay afloat.

“Together with HSBC UK, we’re working with families up and down the country to help build financial resilience and stop homelessness before it happens. Our House shines a light on the harsh reality that thousands face — and we’re calling on the public to stand with us in the fight to end homelessness for good.”

HSBC UK’s Head of Societal Purpose & Sustainability, Natalie Gregoire-Skeete, said: “With over 124,000 families in England at risk of homelessness, the ‘Our House’ campaign paints the stark reality faced by far too many families in the UK. By combining housing expertise, community insight, and practical financial support, our partnership with Shelter is helping people and families build financial resilience – support that can make a real difference when the unexpected happens.”

Shelter Press Release 22 July 2025

New government statutory homelessness figures, released today, reveal 169,050 children are now homeless in temporary accommodation in England – a 12% increase in a year and the ninth consecutive record since December 2022.

The new data for January to March 2025 paints another devastating portrait of the housing emergency across the country:

The number of households living in emergency accommodation like B&Bs and hostels is now 22,700. This has doubled in the last decade, from 10,310 in 2015. B&Bs and hostels are often the most damaging for children because they have shared facilities, like bathrooms, and families are usually cramped in one room.

Overall, there are now 131,140 households homeless in temporary accommodation, up 12% in a year.

A third of households (32%), 41,560, are accommodated in temporary accommodation outside of their home area – up 14% in one year.

Nearly half (46%) of London households homeless in temporary accommodation are stuck in out of area accommodation. In Manchester, this figure is over a third (39%).

Shelter warns that unless the government urgently ramps up delivery of social rent homes through the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, homelessness will continue to rise. In the short term, the government must use the Autumn Budget to unfreeze local housing allowance to help families out of temporary accommodation, and to prevent more families becoming homeless.

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, said: “While their classmates are excited for the holidays ahead, over 169,000 children face a long summer stuck in damaging and insecure temporary accommodation. This is the devastating result of a severe shortage of social rent homes and inadequate levels of housing benefit that continue to trap families in homelessness.

“Every day we hear from families who are stuck in grim B&Bs and hostels where they are crammed into single rooms and forced to live out of suitcases. Children’s toys are stacked against damp and mouldy walls and there’s no space to invite friends over to play. Many are forced to uproot their lives, sometimes overnight, when they are moved into temporary accommodation miles away from their families, jobs, and communities.

“As an immediate relief for struggling families, the government must unfreeze local housing allowance in the Autumn Budget, so it covers at least the bottom third of local rents. But there’s only one way to ensure everyone has access to a safe and secure home in the long run, and that’s social rent homes. The government must now get on and deliver the new social rent homes it's committed to and ramp up to 90,000 a year for ten years.”

Anyone who is facing homelessness can get free and expert advice from Shelter by visiting www.shelter.org.uk/get_help.

Shelter Press Release 15 May 2025.

The government has today released two separate sets of statistics which reveal that runaway rents are leaving private renters increasingly at risk of losing their homes, while no-fault bailiff evictions continue to climb across England.

Alarming new figures from the English Housing Survey show that private renters in the lowest income bracket face the heaviest housing cost burden of any tenure in England:

Low-income private renters are spending almost two thirds (63%) of their income on housing, up from 56% in 2019/20.

Low-income private renters spend 9% more of their income on housing than mortgage holders, and 27% more than social renters in the same income bracket.

Across all income levels, private renters are shelling out more than a third (34%) of their household income on housing costs every month, up from 32% in 2019/20.

Until now, Section 21 evictions have been the leading cause of instability in private renting as they allow landlords to evict tenants with just two months' notice, with no reason given. A separate set of figures, released by the Ministry of Justice today and covering January to March, show 2,931 households in England were removed from their homes by bailiffs because of a no-fault eviction in the first three months of the year - an increase of 9% in a year.

The government has promised to scrap Section 21 as part of its Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently making its way through the House of Lords. Doing away with no fault eviction has the potential to transform private renting for the better. But with average monthly rents soaring to a staggering £1,386 across England - up 7.8% in a year - Shelter warns that unless action is taken to limit huge jumps in rent, unaffordable rent increases will simply replace Section 21 as a form of no-fault eviction.

Alicia Walker, Assistant Director of Advocacy & Activism at Shelter, said: “Thousands of renters are being marched out of their homes because of an unjust policy that should already be history. No fault evictions must be scrapped by summer, but landlords can’t be allowed to continue using colossal rent hikes as a loophole to unfairly force tenants out.

“Rents and living costs are spiralling across England and tenants on the lowest pay are keeping hold of their homes by the skin of their teeth. Every day our frontline teams hear from families who’ve been hit with rent increases they just cannot afford - forced to pay up or ship out, with little standing between them and the nightmare of homelessness.

“With the Renters’ Rights Bill making its way through the House of Lords, this is the last chance to guarantee renters real security. If the government wants the Bill to be truly transformative, it must cap rent increases in line with inflation or wage growth to make renting genuinely safe, secure, and more affordable.”