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New statistics show that this Christmas, the equivalent of one child in every primary school classroom in London will be homeless.
London is the area most hit, with 56,000 primary school students nationwide experiencing homelessness this Christmas, according to a report by the housing charity Shelter.
With 61 children, or one in nine, homeless at each school on average, Newham in east London had the highest rate of child homelessness. This is a 10% increase from 2022.
For the capital as a whole, at least 1 in 24 primary school children are in temporary accommodation across the city, the equivalent of one in every classroom.
Among those affected are Fauzia and her three children, who were made homeless in north London after being served a âno faultâ eviction seven years ago.
They were initially placed in a hotel in Enfield, but have since been living in temporary accommodation in Ealing - miles away from the childrenâs school in Waltham Cross.
The 44-year-old, who did not give her surname, said it had taken an enormous toll on her family, with multiple issues with their temporary accommodation, including sewage back-flowing into the bathroom, mould and damp.
âThere are so many problems - the house is freezing cold and poor plumbing leads the toilet to flood every day,â she said.
âIt took weeks for the agency to fix it, only for it to break down again. I tried to contact the council, but they ignored me - I just donât know what to do.
âThe journey to get my children to school is killing me. My back hurts and weâre constantly late because our accommodation is so far away.
âIt ends up being such a long day for them; they fall asleep in the car because theyâre so exhausted.
âWhen we finally get home, thereâs barely enough time for them to eat dinner and have a bath. My children are missing out on their childhoods ⌠It has taken an enormous toll.â
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said Fauziaâs case was similar to the many âheartbreakingâ examples of families with young children who are homeless at Christmas.
âWhile their classmates are excited for the holidays ahead, many children face winter in a freezing cold bedsit or grotty B&B room, unwrapping their presents as their breath hangs in the air,â she said.
âFamilies across the country tell us the housing emergency is damaging their childrenâs education.
âThousands are growing up without the space or basic facilities to sleep, play or do their homework.
âThey travel for hours only to arrive at school exhausted, where they struggle to concentrate and fall behind in their work.â
Ms Neate called for the government to end the ânightmareâ of child homelessness by committing to building affordable social housing at scale.
Outside of London, Luton comes out worst for child homelessness with 20 children homeless in every school on average, followed by Birmingham, with the equivalent of 15 children homeless in every school.
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