CHILDREN IN CRISIS

With the number of homeless children in the UK at a record high, how can we help kids with no place to call home?

- JOHANNA BELL

Everybody has the right to a roof over their head – a home where they feel safe. But there are currently 117,450 households living in temporary accommodation in England – the highest number since records began. Within those statistics, a shocking 151,630 children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation. Families and individuals can be made homeless for a number of reasons, such as fleeing domestic violence situations, losing an income or being evicted from a rental property. Shockingly, half of working renters are just one missed pay cheque away from losing their home. While local councils may step in to offer emergency housing, this could be a room in a shared house, hostel, B&B or refuge. Others might stay with friends or relatives. The rising figures mean council spending on homelessness has tripled over the past eight years. As the government is urged to deliver and implement a crisis action plan to address homelessness, Woman’s Own speaks to one woman who knows what it’s like to be made homeless as a child, and we explore what can be done to help families in need.

‘I struggled with my mental health’

Sarah*, 36, says: I think it says a lot about my mum that I wasn’t aware of the fact we were homeless for a year when I was a child. Looking back, it must have been an incredibly worrying time for her, and she did her best to shield me and my brother from everything she was going through. But there is no denying that the experience had a lasting impact on my life.