382,000 to be homeless in Britain on Christmas

BIRMINGHAM, England (

More than 382,000 people in Britain will be without a permanent home on Christmas, according to an analysis from the housing charity Shelter, which is urging the government to act amid rising winter pressures.

Research showed homelessness has grown 8% in a year, with "1 in every 153 people now either sleeping rough or living in temporary accommodation."

Shelter said the sharp increase reflects a severe shortage of social housing, soaring private rents and the continuing freeze on housing benefit.

A record 350,000 people are living in temporary accommodation, most of them families with children. The number sleeping rough on a given night has also risen to at least 4,667, up 20% from last year.

The figures show that at least 4,667 people are sleeping rough on any given night -- a 20 percent increase in one year.

The charity warned that many households are spending years in poor-quality emergency housing, often far from schools, jobs and support networks.

While London remains the worst-affected region, steep rises have also been recorded in the North West, Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

Shelter is urging ministers to unfreeze housing benefits so they cover at least the bottom third of rents, arguing it is one of the few immediate steps that could prevent more families from becoming homeless.

In a statement released Thursday, Shelter’s chief executive, Sarah Elliott, said the figures show a “brutal winter” ahead for thousands. She urged the public to support the charity’s winter appeal, which funds helplines, legal advice and frontline services for those facing homelessness.