KWAJO TWENEBOA: ‘172,000 British youngsters will get up on Christmas with no residence’
“There are moments when a statistic stops you in your tracks. For me, it is this one. More than 172,000 children in the UK are living in temporary accommodation. Not for a night or a weekend. For months. For years. For entire childhoods”
We have become far too comfortable talking about this as if it is normal. As if it is acceptable for children to grow up in one room with their siblings, eating dinner on a bed because there is no table, sharing bathrooms with strangers, listening to their parents quietly panic about where they will sleep next month.
Some people call it a housing crisis. But a crisis suggests an unexpected event. What we are witnessing is a failure that has been allowed to grow in plain sight.
I have walked into these spaces. I have met the families. I have seen the mould creeping up walls, living out of bags, constant leaks, and no furniture. I have heard children tell me they feel embarrassed to invite friends over because they do not want anyone to know where they live.
Every time I hear their stories I think the same thing. How did we let it get this bad?
READ MORE: Mum’s powerful message as data shows four homeless people died each day last yearREAD MORE: ‘There’s enough homeless kids to fill the O2 more than eight times – we need a change’
It is not enough to say the system is stretched. It is not enough to blame councils or governments or budgets. Because behind every excuse is a child who will wake up this Christmas in a place they should never have been put in the first place. While the rest of the country celebrates, thousands of young people will be waking up in converted offices, bed and breakfasts, hostels and temporary flats that are anything but temporary.
That is why I launched the GoFundMe campaign 172,000 Reasons to Give. I refuse to accept that children experiencing homelessness should be forgotten at the time of year when the country shows its most generosity. Through this campaign, every pound donated after transaction fees goes directly to children through gift cards. That means parents can choose something personal and meaningful for their kids. No bureaucracy. No delay. Just direct help.
I am working with schools in areas with high levels of homelessness so the support reaches families who need it most. A donation of 30 pounds buys a gift for one child. For many of us that is small. For a child living in temporary accommodation that is huge. It says someone cared enough to make sure they were not left behind this festive season.
But this campaign is about more than gifts. It is about refusing to look away. It is about challenging the normalisation of the unacceptable. If we cannot guarantee every child a safe and stable home, then the least we can do is remind them they matter.
If you want to help, you can donate or share the campaign. Both make a real difference. There are 172,000 reasons to act. But it only takes one to start.
You can support the campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/172000-reasons-to-give
