A record number of people on the verge of homelessness are calling the Shelter helpline.
Shelter exposed the huge scale of homelessness in Britain last week, with its report finding 320,000 people are either sleeping rough or living in temporary accommodation.
Now the charity has revealed it is receiving more emergency calls from people and families on the brink of homelessness.
Shelter said more than 10,100 calls were answered by its helpline staff between January and October.
That figure is 8% higher than the whole of 2017, with the charity expecting an increase throughout the festive season if the trend continues.
Calls were from people receiving an eviction notice, falling into rent arrears or suffering domestic violence, with two out of five calls from families, Shelter said.
Emily Dean, a helpline adviser for Shelter, said: Weve seen a rise in calls from the sharp end of the housing crisis. Its definitely been getting worse in the last year, and we expect things to be especially bad over the winter months.
Were speaking to families who are really just a few days away from losing their homes and finding themselves with nowhere to go. This will be even tougher for people as the freezing nights start to close in.
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Theres no doubt were in the middle of a housing emergency right now, so supporting our helpline has probably never been more important.
Mike Barry of Marks & Spencer, which is donating money to Shelter from its food sales, said: With a sharp increase in calls to the Shelter helpline over the past year, its important that we continue to support this meaningful cause.
Shelter said its homelessness figures reveal the true scale of the UKs housing crisis, which is worsening despite Government pledges to tackle the problem.
Its unforgivable that 320,000 people in Britain have been swept up by the housing crisis and now have no place to call home, Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said.
Record numbers of people are sleeping out on the streets or stuck in the cramped confines of a hostel room.
Shelter launched its winter appeal on Thursday to support front line staff who are helping desperate people to find or keep their home.
Were asking the public to support us this winter so that we can answer as many calls as possible and have trained advisers on hand, Ms Neate said.
More: UK
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