ONE in every 78 people in Brighton and Hove are homeless, a new report has revealed.

Across England, more than 274,000 people are without a home according to research carried out by Shelter, with growing fears of a “rising tide” of evictions.

The homelessness charity data revealed that London is the worst hit city for homelessness, with one in every 53 people without a home.

Outside the capital, Luton is the area with the highest rate of homelessness with one in 66 people homeless, followed by Brighton and Hove, which has a rate of one in 78 people.

This compares to an average of one in every 206 people across England.

Of the 274,000 homeless people in England, 126,000 of them are believed to be children.

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said the figures are “shameful” and warned that “with Covid protections now gone thousands more will be joining them”.

“We predicted the pandemic would trigger a rising tide of evictions and our services are starting to see the reality of this now,” she said.

“We’re flooded with calls from families and people of all ages who are homeless or on the verge of losing their home.”

The Argus: One in 78 people in Brighton and Hove are homeless, new Shelter report reveals One in 78 people in Brighton and Hove are homeless, new Shelter report reveals

Of the 274,000 people believed to be homeless, 2,700 people are sleeping rough, 15,000 are in direct access hostels and nearly 250,000 are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families, the data revealed.

Shelter warned that recorded numbers are likely to be an underestimate as some types of homelessness such as sofa surfing go undocumented.

Ms Neate continued: “It is shameful that 274,000 people are without a home, and with Covid protections now gone thousands more will be joining them.

“A shoddy hostel room or a freezing cold doorway is no place to wake up on Christmas morning, but sadly so many people will.

“This winter the work of our frontline staff is as critical as ever. Our emergency helpline advisers work 365 days a year, doing everything they can to help people find a safe and secure home.

“By giving a little the public can help us do a lot – with their support we can keep providing support and advice to thousands of families facing homelessness this year.”

The charity said its frontline workers have been inundated with calls to its emergency helpline from people facing homelessness this winter.

A family from Ilford have been living in a shed in the garden of an emergency hostel after being evicted in August.

Tomasz says he, his wife and young children have been priced out of private renting despite working long hours as a maintenance worker.

“This Christmas I’m telling the kids that Santa will still be able to find them,” he said.

“I’m trying to make it better by putting up a small Christmas tree on the shelf and a Christmas light in the window.

“I want to try and make it as normal as possible but it’s so stressful and depressing.”

The government says tackling homelessness is an “absolute priority” and added it has committed more than £2 billion in funding over the next three years.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “On top of that we’re providing £375 million this year to prevent homelessness and have given councils in England £65 million to support people in rent arrears.”

One in 96 people are homeless in Birmingham and in Manchester, the figure is one in 81.