63 people were homeless in Lancaster on any given night in 2022 including 30 children - says Shelter charity

Shelter homelessness charity has used government statistics, Freedom of Information requests and data from charity Homeless Link to work out how many people are without a home in England.

It estimates 63 people were homeless in Lancaster on any given night in 2022 – including 30 children.

This was equivalent to one in every 2,268 people in the area, the charity said.

All the homeless people in Lancaster were in temporary accommodation.

These figures do not include the various forms of hidden or unofficial homelessness, such as sofa surfing or overcrowded homes.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said they were expecting a rise in homelessness in 2023.

“A cold doorway or a grotty hostel room is not a home but this is reality for too many people today,” she said.

“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.”

The estimates suggest around 2,400 people were sleeping rough across England, with a further 15,000 people in hostels or supported accommodation.

Nearly 250,000 people – mainly families – were living in temporary accommodation.

Despite a slight drop in the number of people in temporary accommodation compared to the year before, the use of temporary accommodation has risen by an “alarming” 74% over the last decade, Shelter said.

The charity said this was due to a “chronic shortage” of social homes.

Labour MP Paula Barker, shadow homelessness and rough sleeping minister, said the figures were “shameful”.

“The Conservatives promised to prevent homelessness and end rough sleeping by the end of next year, but they are completely and utterly failing, with devastating consequences for thousands of families and children,” she said.

Across the North West, 14,619 people were estimated to be homeless on any given night in 2022 – one in every 507 residents in the region.

A Government spokeswoman said it had given £366 million to local authorities this year to help prevent evictions and provide temporary housing.