Tragedy of homeless at Christmas

I can’t wait for Christmas.

As an architect, I know just how important it is for every family to have a place to call home, especially at this time of year. That’s why it’s so heart-breaking to know that in the North-West alone, more than 800 children will face the reality of waking up homeless on Christmas morning.

They are among the nearly 85,000 children across the country who face spending Christmas in temporary accommodation. Many will be cramped into one room of a bed and breakfast with their entire family, eating dinner sat on the floor or sharing a bed with their parents.

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Shelter’s helpline is already seeing a rise in callers from the North-West struggling to keep a roof over their heads, and the charity is expecting this Christmas to be its busiest yet.

Thankfully, there is a simple way each of us can help to make sure anyone facing Christmas without a home this year gets the proper advice and support they need.

Marks & Spencer is making a donation to Shelter’s helpline for every item sold from its Christmas Food on the Move range. So something as simple as a turkey sandwich can help people facing homelessness. I hope everyone will remember this simple way to help give a family in need.

George Clarke

Architect and TV presenter