More than 3,500 people are homeless in Manchester according to new report

There are 3,511 people recorded as homeless in Manchester, according to a new report by Shelter.

In the most extensive review of its kind, the housing charity combined official rough sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services data. This showed the number of homeless people in the north west to be 9,354 – an increase of 24% on last year.

To identify where the problem is most acute in the north west, the charity mapped the top 10 hotspots in the region with the highest levels of homelessness.

Manchester topped the list with 78 people sleeping rough and 3,433 in temporary accommodation.

Salford had the second highest number in the north west with 26 people sleeping rough and 410 in temporary accommodation.

However, the report says that the true homelessness figure is likely to be even higher as government records are not definitive.

Shelter has launched an urgent appeal in response to the mounting crisis, calling on the public to support its frontline advisers as they work tirelessly to help people to stay in their home or find a new one.

“It’s shocking to think that today, thousands of people in the north west are waking up homeless,” said Shelter Manchester manager, John Ryan.

“Some will have spent the night shivering on a cold pavement, others crammed into a dingy, hostel room with their children. And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for.

“On a daily basis, we speak to people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness. A trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of welfare cuts.

“As this crisis continues to unfold, the work of our frontline advisers remains absolutely critical. We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own. But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public’s support to be there for everyone who needs us right now.”

The charity’s report, Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017 shows just how hard it can be to escape homelessness amid a drought of affordable homes and welfare reforms, such as the four-year freeze on housing benefit.

Across England, over a third of people currently living in temporary accommodation will still be homeless in a year’s time.

To support Shelter’s urgent appeal please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.