Today, leading housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, launches ‘Dear Santa’, an emotive installation highlighting the record number of children without a place to call home this Christmas.
The installation – designed to support Shelter’s Winter Appeal – comes as the latest government data reveals that a record high number of households with children have become homeless in the past year.
New analysis reveals that 119 families are being made homeless every single day.
With the festive season a little less than a month away, the coming weeks should be a time for excitement and preparation. But if current trends continue another 3,000 families will be made homeless before Christmas.
On Christmas morning – a time for joy and celebration – over 131,000, or 1 in every 90, children in England will wake up without a place to call home. Instead, they will be homeless with their families, stuck in cramped B&Bs, badly converted offices, and cold shipping containers.
Dedicated to challenging this injustice and defending the right to a safe home, Shelter strongly believes that every child needs a safe home where they can experience the magic of winter holidays.
In response to this escalating housing emergency, Shelter has launched its Winter Appeal to bring attention to the record number homeless children with their families and encourage the public to support their fundraising efforts.
Hosted outside London’s King’s Cross Station, Shelter’s ‘Dear Santa’ installation will be in place for the public to visit all day on Tuesday 28th November.
Designed to catch the eye of passers-by, a traditional red post-box will overflow with children’s letters to Santa. Adjacent to it, a giant letter from a child who was homeless at Christmas will be prominently displayed to show just how children are being impacted by the housing emergency. Together, these elements visually represent the stark reality of how many children across the country are wishing for a home this winter.
Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter said: “A truly dire lack of affordable homes means the housing emergency is spiralling. Over a hundred families are facing homelessness every day. These huge numbers are simply impossible to ignore, the holiday season is going to be far from festive for thousands of families this year.
“Our ‘Dear Santa’ installation brings to life just how urgent the housing emergency really is, showing how many children will spend this winter without anywhere to call home. Instead, they will be waking up homeless on Christmas morning in grim office conversions, cramped hostel rooms, and dingy B&Bs.
“Shelter’s frontline services are doing everything we can to help families facing homelessness this winter – we provide free, expert support and advice through our helpline and community hubs. But as more and more families turn to us for help, the public’s support is more important than ever, so we can be there for anyone who needs us.”
Impassioned by the issue and keen to make a difference to the lives of thousands of families across England, a number of celebrity supporters are lending their support to Shelter’s campaign.
Journalist and broadcaster Louis Theroux says: “This winter, I’m supporting Shelter’s “Dear Santa” campaign, because every child needs a safe home where they can experience the magic of Christmas.
“Far too many children are spending this winter facing the harsh realities of homelessness in England. Your support can help provide support for families to find and keep a home this winter.”
