MORE THAN 20,000 people are recorded as homeless in the West Midlands, including 10,540 children, according to homeless charity Shelter.
Following detailed analysis of official homelessness figures and responses to a Freedom of Information Shelter says 190 people are sleeping rough on any given night and 18,980 are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families.
Shelter’s new research also reveals the areas across the West Midlands where homelessness is most acute.
Birmingham comes out worst, with one in 80 people homeless, one in 195 people are homeless in Coventry, followed by Solihull where one in 416 people are homeless.
In Worcester one in 601 people are homeless and in Redditch one in 1,032 are homeless.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The new year should be a time of hope, but this isn’t the case for the 20,400 homeless people in the West Midlands who are facing a truly bleak 2023.
“A cold doorway or a grotty hostel room is not a home, but this is reality for too many people today.
“Our frontline advisers are working tirelessly to help people who are desperate to escape homelessness – from the parents doing all they can to provide some shred of a normal family life while stuck in an emergency B&B, to the person terrified of another night sleeping rough.
“With private rents and living costs continuing to soar, thousands of people are not just facing a winter of worry, they are at risk of losing the roof over their head.”
Shelter is issuing an urgent appeal for public support as it braces for a sharp rise in homelessness in 2023.
The charity’s Winter Appeal aims to give people fighting homelessness the urgent support, security and hope they need in the tough months ahead.
It says an average of 85 calls per day from people in the West Midlands are made to the charity’s emergency helpline.
Polly added: “At Shelter, we are bracing ourselves for a sharp rise in homelessness in 2023.
“More than ever, we will be relying on the public’s generosity to help us support and campaign for all those fighting for a safe home.”
Visit shelter.org.uk/donate for more information and to donate to Shelter.
