While many of us will wake up on Christmas morning in our family homes, not everyone is so lucky.

According to new research from Shelter (shelter.org.uk), over 274,000 people are homeless in England – and there are fears of a “rising tide” of evictions this winter.

Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate called the numbers “shameful”, adding: “With Covid protections now gone, thousands more will be joining them.”

The charity says it has been flooded with calls from families and individuals who are either homeless or about to lose their homes. The numbers might even be an underestimate, as some types of homelessness – such as sofa surfing – tend to go unreported.

Neate says: “A shoddy hostel room or a freezing cold doorway is no place to wake up on Christmas morning, but sadly so many people will.”

This festive season might be more difficult than normal, she says: “With low-income families faced with a triple whammy of rising energy costs, cuts to universal credit and renting protections relaxed.

“These helped people keep their homes – but with them now gone, thousands are at risk of losing their homes and becoming homeless.”

Christmas is a time for giving – if you want to help the homeless this festive period, there are some things you can do to help…

Donate your money

Neate recommends donating money to Shelter’s emergency helpline (england.shelter.org.uk/donate).

Open 365 days a year, it’s staffed by experts who, “Advise people on everything from rent arrears to eviction worries. For those already homeless, they can give immediate and practical assistance, for example by finding them emergency accommodation to prevent them sleeping rough that night.”

Volunteer your time and skills

There are plenty of volunteer options with charities working to end homelessness – including Shelter, Focus Ireland (focusireland.ie) and Crisis (crisis.org.uk).

You could donate your time – maybe by helping out in some of the charity shops or working to fundraise. You could also donate your skills – perhaps by helping out with legal advice, or offering haircuts to the homeless.

Connect with homeless people in your area

“If you see someone sleeping on the street, you could offer them a hot drink or hot food,” says Neate. “If you feel comfortable, you can stop to have a conversation with that person and check that they are OK.

“You can also ask if they’d like you to contact StreetLink (streetlink.org.uk) to connect them to local outreach services, and you can give them Shelter’s contact details to ring our helpline. But do call 999 if you think someone is in urgent need of medical help.”

And finally…

On a broader scale, Neate says: “There’s a lot the government can do.” This could include reinstating the Everyone In project (“To get people off the street and into the warm”, she says), while also putting more effort into building good quality social homes.

“Last year we built fewer than 6,000 new social homes, while over a million households sat on waiting lists,” says Neate. ”The government can and must build a new generation of social homes to tackle the scourge of hidden homelessness.”