Campaigning charity Shelter is warning this winter could be one of the toughest yet – and it claims high rents are adding to the risk of increased homelessness.

The charity says that “as private rents reach record highs, household bills soar and more people fall behind on their housing costs, [its staff] are gearing up to answer calls from huge numbers of people facing homelessness this winter.”

It says some 78 per cent of callers are already homeless or at risk of homelessness, compared with 70 per cent during the same period in 2021.

And it claims over 1,000 calls on average are made to the emergency helpline every day. 

It’s helpline is part funded by M&S Food. Five percent of every sale from M&S’s Festive Food on the Move range, including its Christmas sandwiches, goes directly towards the emergency helpline.

Helpline manager Andrea Deakin says: “Day in day out our advisers hear appalling stories of people in the most desperate situations, from the man whose increasing rent meant he only had one bag of rice to last him until payday to the homeless families bounced from hostel to hostel. 

“We know we’ve got our work cut out, but everyone who picks something up from M&S’s Food on the Move range will help those putting on a brave face despite unimaginable hardship in their fight for a home.”

Jo Daniels, Head of Partnerships at M&S, adds: “We’ve been supporting Shelter since 2005 and have donated £14.6m in that time thanks to our generous colleagues and customers. We are very proud of what the partnership has achieved – not only do we support through our Festive Food on the Move range, but Shelter is also one of our Sparks charities meaning customers can help every time they shop.”