In the most extensive review of its kind, the charity combined official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures to reveal the depth of homelessness crisis across the country.

This showed the number of homeless people in Britain has increased by 13,000 in a year, but as government records are not definitive the true figure is likely to be even higher.

In Scotland last year there were 28,297 households assessed as homeless and at any one time there were 10,873 households in temporary accommodation. It is estimated that 5,000 people sleep rough on Scotland’s streets throughout the year.

Shelter and Shelter Scotland have launched an urgent appeal in response to this mounting crisis, calling on the public to support its frontline advisers as they work tirelessly to help people to stay in their home or find a new one.

Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It’s shocking to think that today, more than 300,000 people in Britain are waking up homeless. Some will have spent the night sleeping rough on our streets or in unsuitable temporary accommodations while others were crammed into dingy hostels or bed and breakfasts – some with their children. Shockingly, many are simply unaccounted for.

“On a daily basis, we speak to hundreds of people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness. A trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of harsh welfare cuts which are now, for many, being compounded by the roll-out of Universal Credit.

“As this crisis continues to unfold, the work of our frontline services remains absolutely critical. We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own. But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public’s support to be there for everyone who needs us this winter.”

Case Study

Stacey Timony (40) from Edinburgh is a hard-working, articulate, self-employed mother. She’s also homeless and has been in temporary accommodation with four children for 18 months.

They became homeless when she was asked to leave a private let and found herself priced out of the market, despite help from the children’s Dad with whom she has a supportive relationship.

A two-month battle with the City of Edinburgh Council to get into temporary housing saw them moved from B&B to B&B and sleeping on floors with friends or family when the council couldn’t accommodate them.

Stacey believes the council deliberately tried to put her off accessing her rights to temporary housing.

She said: “I never thought I’d be in this position. I used to have a mortgage when my eldest children were small but the market has changed and housing is just so unaffordable.

“The council had eight weeks’ notice that I was losing my home but did nothing to prevent us having to go through the homelessness system. Looking back, I can see that the council just tried to scaremonger me into not going through the process of applying for homelessness assistance.

“The council literally made every bit of the process unbearable. There was no understanding, no information, no support and no guidance. It was one of the scariest times of my life.

“I was caring for my mother who was sick when I needed help but the council made no consideration for that, expecting me to be in their office first thing in the morning when I needed to help her with medication, and get four children to school and nursery.”

Stacey added: “Half my belongings are in council storage so we have very few of our homely things. I sleep on a sofa because the bed the council provide makes the prolapsed disc in my back worse. They won’t let me swap it for my own bed which is in storage.

“Losing our home was a bad enough situation to find myself in but with none of my own household items that make a house a home I don’t feel settled. I feel naked. Lost. It’s been a year and a half since we went into temporary housing and I still can’t give my children any answers or reassurance to when we will be housed or when their toys and belongings will be returned to them.

“We went to collect some things from storage for our first Christmas here and some of our furniture was covered in mould and dampness. I’ve left personal photos and things that have sentimental value and I’m dreading to see what state they’re in.”