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While this is said to be the happiest time of year, with many of us putting up our Christmas decorations and enjoying a festive night out or two, it doesn’t quite have the same magic for those in poverty.
In fact, the latest government figures show that 159,380 children across England are spending this winter in temporary accommodation – the highest number on record.
A figure that is a 15% increase on last year.
Housing charity Shelter says: “The figures also show that there are 9,550 families with children stuck in B&Bs and hostels. Government rules say families should only be put in B&B accommodation as a last resort and only for a maximum of six weeks.
“B&Bs and hostels are considered some of the worst type of temporary accommodation as families are often cramped into one room, forced to share kitchens and bathrooms with strangers and where children have no space to play and are unable to have friends over.”
“They had cockroaches, mice, beetles, bedbugs and a bee infestation”
As part of Shelter’s collaboration with B&Q, people who have stayed in temporary accommodation shared their stories, which inspired a range of charity baubles.
Lauren, who was made homeless with her three sons says: “It was one room with one double bed and two single beds. It had a tiny fridge freezer, which kept defrosting and you couldn’t really store anything in it, and a microwave which was absolutely filthy, and we didn’t use”
Aimee and her two young children faced similar issues of cleanliness in their hotel room. She explains: “On the day we moved in we found old chips and ketchup stuck to the windowsill. They had cockroaches, mice, beetles, bedbugs and a bee infestation. The water came out of the tap a dirty colour and the toilet backed up.”
Sam and his family were actually placed in a flat but it was overrun with rodents and wasn’t fit to live in. He says: “We’ve got mice. We’ve got rats in the ceiling – running, fighting in the middle of the night. We had no electricity for two weeks, had no shower for about a month. It feels like I’m in a prison sometimes.”
Temporary accommodation is often unsanitary
Shelter’s ‘Living in Limbo’ report surveyed over 1,000 people living in temporary accommodation.
The report found that a devastating four in 10 reported problems with damp, mould or condensation, over a third had issues with insect or animal infestations and over half of parents say that living in temporary accommodation has harmed their child’s health.
“Utterly unacceptable”
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, says: “It is utterly unacceptable that so many families will spend the festive season homeless and trapped in overcrowded, damp, unsafe temporary accommodation.
“Sky high private rents combined with a dire shortage of genuinely affordable social homes has caused homelessness to spiral and sadly it’s children who are paying the price. Too many are growing up sharing beds with siblings, in one-room hostels infested with cockroaches, bedbugs, and rats, in conditions that harm their health and futures.”
To find your nearest B&Q to purchase your tree and help donate towards B&Q and Shelter’s shared mission, visit their website.
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