Shelter Scotland has released new research on the increased number of children who will be without a home at Christmas, and urges us to do more

5,224 of children in Scotland – out of more than 120,000 children in Britain - are set to wake up homeless on Christmas Day, housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland has warned.

Launching its winter appeal, the charity condemned the fact that there will be 591 more children in Scotland without a permanent home this Christmas than there were last year, stating that it’s a disgrace that so many children are having their long-term health, education, and life chances put at risk.

We simply have to do more to make sure no child is homeless at Christmas or at any other time - Alison Watson

Shelter Scotland also released new research from YouGov which revealed a shocking level of working families living on a knife-edge with little or no savings to fall back on. Almost a third of working families in Scotland said they could only afford to pay their rent or mortgage for one month if they lost their jobs, and 17% said they would not be able to cover the cost of their housing at all – raising the very real threat of increased homelessness among working families in Scotland should they suffer an adverse change in circumstances.

Earlier this year, Shelter Scotland launched a new national campaign, Homelessness: Far From Fixed, aimed at debunking the myths about the types of people who become homeless and the causes of homelessness. It calls for a home for everyone, and for the Scottish Government and local authorities to renew their focus on tackling homelessness and ensure there is a robust safety net in place to catch people if they do lose their home.

Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Being homeless is particularly detrimental to children’s health, life chances and education, with research showing that homeless children miss on average 55 school days each year.

“It is simply unacceptable that on Christmas morning more than 5,000 children in Scotland will wake up without a permanent home of their own. We simply have to do more to make sure no child is homeless at Christmas or at any other time.

“The daily struggles faced by nearly half of working families in Scotland and the frightening possibility of losing their home are deeply concerning. Scotland already has a big homelessness problem and it’s clear that even a small shift in fortune for some would be enough to push them over the edge into a spiral of debt and possible homelessness.

“Each December Shelter Scotland’s helpline advisors have to help hundreds of families at risk of losing their home. We need everyone’s support in the coming months so our teams can help prevent more people from becoming homeless or, if the worst happens, support them to get a decent roof over their heads.

“To help us, people can visit shelterscotland.org or text SHELTER to 70123 and donate £3 to support our work to prevent homelessness and give a child a warm, secure home when they need it – especially at Christmas.”