New data from homeless charity Shelter reveals more than 1,100 people in Greater Manchester have contacted their emergency helpline in the last two months.
Shelter’s team of frontline advisers warn of a difficult winter ahead as even more people face homelessness and hardship after losing income or jobs due to Coronavirus.
According to the report, one in three of those who contacted their free national helpline were families with children, 66% of which were already homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Their data shows 22% of Greater Manchester families are worried of losing their homes as a result of the pandemic, while 11% have already gone to the extreme of cutting back on food in a desperate bid to pay their rent or mortgage.
Shelter’s emergency helpline is open 365 days of the year and has helped countless people such as Umer, 44, a taxi driver who was living at a friend’s house until it got repossessed and spent over a month sleeping in his car as a result.
“Those 44 days living in my car were terrible,” said Umer.
“At night, I’d park on a quiet street but I still felt exposed and vulnerable. I was worried I might be attacked… When you’re homeless, you feel like a dead person.”
Umer contacted Shelter’s emergency helpline that intervened with his local council and was placed in temporary accommodation within hours.
If you or anyone you know is at risk of homelessness, you can contact Shelter on 0808 800 4444.
Picture credit: Taufiq Klinkenborg from Pexels
