5,000 children in region will be homeless on Christmas Day ‘16 families every day in West Midlands’ left in crisis

NEARLY 5,000 children in the West Midlands will wake up homeless and in temporary accommodation on Christmas Day, a new report by Shelter has revealed.

The leading charity warned that 16 families are becoming homeless every day in the West Midlands.

And it means many children in our region will wake up to a miserable and insecure Christmas. In many cases, whole families will be consigned to a single room.

Shelter Birmingham Hub manager, Vicky Hines said: “Many of us will spend Christmas day enjoying all of the festive traditions we cherish, but sadly it’ll be a different story for those children hidden away in cramped B&Bs or hostel rooms.

“Imagine living in a noisy strange place full of people you don’t know, and waking up exhausted from having no choice but to share a bed with your siblings or parents.”

One in every 111 children is currently homeless across Britain, and the problem is getting worse rather than better.

And Shelter has carried out in-depth interviews with children and their parents living in emergency bed and breakfast accommodation and hostels. It found:

Every family lived in a single room which significantly disrupts the children’s ability to play, do homework and carry out a daily routine

A quarter of families had no access to a kitchen at all, and the rest had to make do with shared facilities. Struggling to cook meals, more than half of parents said they rely on expensive and unhealthy takeaways. And two-thirds had to eat family meals on the bed or floor of their room

Half of families had to share toilet and bathroom facilities with other households, often with filthy conditions and unlockable doors, meaning strangers could walk moment

More than a third of parents had to share a bed with their children. Three-quarters say bedtimes have become difficult and half say their children are more tired

In England, where the highest number of families are placed into B&Bs, 45 per cent stay beyond the six-week legal limit. The charity’s findings lay bare the psychological turmoil experienced by families living in these cramped conditions for often long periods of time, including:

Three-quarters of parents felt their children’s mental health had been badly affected. One parent said her daughter had become suicidal since living in the hostel

Half of parents reported that their children’s physical health had also worsened, with incidents of bed bug infestations, and broken heating causing children to fall ill

Children spoke about feeling anxious, afraid and ashamed. in at any Several children described school as a respite. For one it was the only place he felt happy. Another felt stressed at the thought of returning to her accommodation at the end of the school day

Children also talked about their school work suffering because of long journeys to school, poor and broken sleep, and having no space or quiettime to do their homework

Chancellor Phillip Hammond announced in November that £28 million that would be set aside for “Housing First” pilot projects to provide more homes in Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands.

He also confirmed a homelessness taskforce would be set up to ensure the government meets its target to halve rough sleeping by 2022, then eliminate it altogether by 2027.

Shelter has launched an appeal to try to cut homeslessness. To support Shelter’s Christmas appeal visit www. shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.