More than 1,500 people in Bedford without a home this Christmas

Research by housing charity Shelter suggests 354,000 people in England are homeless, a 14% jump from this time last year.

The charity said its figures are "the most comprehensive overview of recorded homelessness in England".

In Bedford, Shelter estimates 1,792 people will be homeless this Christmas, including 683 children. It means one in 103 people in the area are homeless.

Across the East of England, 23,934 people are estimated to be homeless.

The charity – which described its research as a snapshot of the number of people recorded as homeless on a given night in 2024 – blamed "extortionate private rents" and a "dire lack of genuinely affordable" social homes for trapping more people in homelessness.

The data includes rough sleepers, single people in hostels, and people living in temporary accommodation arranged either by themselves, by councils, or by social services.

In Bedford, 1,774 people were in temporary accommodation arranged by the council as of July.

Meanwhile, the most recent data from autumn last year shows 18 people were sleeping rough.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said: “As the country prepares to wind down and celebrate the festive season in our homes, it’s unimaginable that 354,000 will spend this winter homeless – many of them forced to shiver on the wet streets or in a mouldy hostel room with their entire family.

"Across England, extortionate private rents combined with a dire lack of genuinely affordable social homes is trapping more and more people in homelessness.

"Parents are spending sleepless nights worrying about their children growing up in cramped and often damaging temporary accommodation, as weeks and months turn into years without somewhere secure for them to call home."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the figures are "shocking", adding they show the "devastating reality" of the homelessness crisis.

They said: "No-one should have to spend Christmas without a home and this Government is taking urgent action to get us back on track to ending homelessness, including committing £1 billion in funding to support homelessness services.

"We will go even further to fix these housing challenges by building the social and affordable homes we need as part of our Plan for Change, while the Deputy Prime Minister is also chairing a new inter-ministerial group dedicated to tackling the root causes of homelessness."