Dozens of people were homeless in Winchester on any given night in 2022, new estimates suggest.

Leading homelessness charity Shelter has used government statistics, Freedom of Information requests and data from the membership charity Homeless Link to work out how many people are without a home in England.

The charity estimates that 58 people were homeless in Winchester on any given night in 2022 – including 16 children.

This was equivalent to one in every 2,198 people in the area, Shelter said.

All of the homeless people in Winchester were in temporary accommodation.

These figures do not include the various forms of hidden or unofficial homelessness, such as sofa surfing or overcrowded homes.

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Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said that the charity is expecting a rise in homelessness in 2023.

She continued: “A cold doorway or a grotty hostel room is not a home, but this is the reality for far too many people today.

“Our frontline advisors are working tirelessly to help people who are desperate to escape homelessness – from the parents doing all they can to provide some shred of a normal life while stuck in an emergency B&B, to the person terrified of another night sleeping rough.

“With private rents and living costs continuing to soar, thousands of people are not just facing a winter of worry, they are at risk of losing the roof over their head.”

A Winchester City Council spokesperson said: “The figure refers to the number of people who are currently in our temporary accommodation, who were at risk of homelessness without our help or support.

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“It doesn’t refer to people who are physically homeless.

“Those in our temporary accommodation are supported by our officers so they are able to move on to long-term accommodation.

“As a council, we are committed to supporting those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and so we are available seven days a week in case of emergencies.

“We work closely with out partners such as Trinity or The Beacon to ensure people have access to a warm, safe space to stay.”