More than 100,000 children in London will spend Christmas Day 2025 in temporary accommodation amid a record homelessness crisis affecting 210,000 residents, while charities like Crisis at Christmas and The Connection at St Martin’s expand services to provide meals, beds and support for thousands facing rough sleeping and instability across the capital.
Analysis from London Councils reveals that 102,000 children – equivalent to one per London classroom – will wake up homeless in temporary accommodation on Christmas Day 2025, the highest figure on record, as part of a broader crisis impacting 210,000 Londoners or one in every 50 people in the city.
Record Numbers Highlight Scale of London Homelessness Emergency
London Councils’ cross-party analysis shows child homelessness in temporary accommodation has risen 8% in the past year and 35% since 2021, with 102,000 children affected this Christmas. According to the Big Issue, this marks the highest number on record, underscoring a national crisis centred in the capital where local services face unsustainable pressures and costs reached £2.8 billion across England last year. The Evening Standard reports that rough sleeping persists amid contributing factors including lack of affordable housing, mental health challenges, addiction, abuse histories and family breakdowns, with centres like The Connection at St Martin’s seeing 120 people daily.
As reported by the Big Issue, Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils’ executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “It is heartbreaking that so many children in the capital are homeless and set to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation. London is the epicentre of a national homelessness crisis that has been years in the making, and the situation here is nothing less than an emergency.”
Charities Mobilise Volunteers and Resources for Festive Support
Crisis at Christmas, active since 1967, plans to support 5,500 people experiencing homelessness across London and Britain this year through day centres open from 24 to 28 December 2025, offering hot meals, companionship and specialist services alongside year-round aid for stable housing, education and training, according to the charity’s official appeal. The Evening Standard details how The Connection at St Martin’s in Westminster has partnered with Westminster City Council to provide 50 additional beds for rough sleepers over the Christmas period, trialling a trust-building approach to link individuals to treatment and long-term support amid an 18% increase in winter capacity to 317 spaces.
Borough Variations and Local Prevention Efforts Emerge Amid Crisis
Trust for London data cited by Chiswick Calendar indicates stark disparities, with Westminster at 29.89 households per 1,000 in temporary accommodation and Southwark at 28.97, while Hounslow reports a lower rate of 5.46 per 1,000 thanks to proactive measures like private rented sector rehousing – 180 households this year – and prioritising council housing for families in B&Bs. The Connection’s CEO Pam Orchard told the Evening Standard of a “steady stream” of people since Covid, driven by housing shortages and strained health services, noting many rough sleepers’ cynicism towards probation due to past trauma. Crisis reports over 300,000 families and individuals across Great Britain in severe homelessness forms, with rough sleeping up 91% in England since 2021; last year, its efforts aided over 1,450 at day centres and 3,700 at Skylight centres.
Council Leaders and Experts Call for Urgent Action
Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council, commented to the Evening Standard: “This Christmas, we are working with the Connection to provide 50 additional bed spaces to help people stay warm over the festive season and access the support they need.” Hounslow Council’s Labour Group spokesman told Chiswick Calendar of progress bucking the regional trend, reducing temporary accommodation from 536 to below target levels through political choices favouring permanent lets and prevention. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to end rough sleeping, as noted by Property118 amid worsening figures from London Councils. The Canary highlighted the political dimensions, stating over 100,000 London children face homelessness while ministers celebrate in warm homes.
London’s homelessness crisis persists with record child figures in temporary accommodation, bolstered by charity expansions like Crisis at Christmas supporting 5,500 people and The Connection’s 50 new beds, as councils issue emergency warnings and implement targeted local responses.
