B&Q & Shelter Reveal Harsh Reality Of Temporary Accommodation At Christmas

• Latest government figures show that a record breaking 159,380 children will be spending this festive season in temporary accommodation, with many families facing dire living conditions 
• As part of its ongoing partnership with Shelter, B&Q has created a series of snow globe baubles showcasing miniature scenes that reflect the harsh realities and challenges faced by many families living in temporary housing 
• The alternative snow globes provide a sharp contrast to the traditional, cosy home scenes usually synonymous with Christmas 
• This year has seen a record number of children stuck in damaging temporary accommodation, which is often grotty, miserable, and overcrowded
• The snow globes will be hung on trees at B&Q stores nationwide to highlight the impact homelessness can have on families
• B&Q is also donating £1 for every real Christmas tree sold to Shelter and hosting fundraising activities across stores nationwide as part of its ongoing partnership  

With over 17 million people across the UK due to purchase their Christmas trees this week, the nation is gearing up for a weekend of decorating and festivities*.  

Many will be adorning their homes with Christmas cards, snow globes and decorations depicting cosy cottages, presents under the tree and stockings hung on warming fireplaces. But for many people experiencing homelessness and living in temporary accommodation, the picture of this perfect Christmas is in stark contrast to the reality of their living conditions.

Latest government figures, released on 28^th November 2024, show that 159,380 children across England are spending this winter in temporary accommodation** - the highest number on record. 

To highlight the bleak and often inadequate conditions that many families are experiencing this Christmas, B&Q has partnered with Shelter and real families to create alternative snow globe scenes that shatter the illusion of festive perfection. These snow globe baubles are based on true accounts from families living in temporary accommodation.

The alternative snow globe scenes will be hung on trees at B&Q stores nationwide from this week. B&Q is donating £1 from every real tree sold to Shelter across the festive season and hosting fundraising activities across 311 stores throughout the UK from 6th - 8th December where customers can donate at checkout which will then be matched by B&Q. The retailer is also selling Shelter Christmas jumpers and cards with all proceeds donated to the charity. 

When Lauren*** and her three sons became homeless, they were placed in a hotel room. She says, “It was one room with one double bed and two single beds. It had a tiny fridge freezer, which kept defrosting and you couldn’t really store anything in it, and a microwave which was absolutely filthy, and we didn’t use”

Aimee and her two young children faced similar issues of cleanliness in their hotel room. She explains, “On the day we moved in we found old chips and ketchup stuck to the windowsill. They had cockroaches, mice, beetles, bedbugs and a bee infestation. The water came out of the tap a dirty colour and the toilet backed up.”

Sam and his family were accommodated in a flat, but it was overrun with rodents and lacked basic amenities. He said, “We’ve got mice. We've got rats in the ceiling - running, fighting in the middle of the night. We had no electricity for two weeks, had no shower for about a month. It feels like I’m in a prison sometimes.”

Despite having mobility issues, mother of two, Grace was placed in temporary accommodation that didn’t take this into account. She explains, “We were offered temporary accommodation up three flights of stairs which was challenging as I was a wheelchair user at the time.” 

The B&Q initiative was inspired by Shelter’s 'Living in Limbo' report that surveyed over 1,000 people living in temporary accommodation****. The report found that a devastating four in 10 (40%) reported problems with damp, mould or condensation, over a third (35%) had issues with insect or animal infestations and over half of parents (57%) say that living in temporary accommodation has harmed their child’s health. 

Graham Bell, CEO of B&Q, says: “At B&Q, we believe everybody should have a safe and settled home - especially at Christmas. But sadly, that picture-perfect festive scene may not be the reality for many children and families living in temporary accommodation. Since launching our partnership in 2017, our colleagues and customers have raised more than £5 million for Shelter and their partner charities – Shelter Cymru, Housing Rights in Northern Ireland and Focus Ireland, and we are proud to be continuing our commitment to Shelter this Christmas.”

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, says: “It is utterly unacceptable that so many families will spend the festive season homeless and trapped in overcrowded, damp, unsafe temporary accommodation. Sky high private rents combined with a dire shortage of genuinely affordable social homes has caused homelessness to spiral and sadly it’s children who are paying the price. Too many are growing up sharing beds with siblings, in one-room hostels infested with cockroaches, bedbugs, and rats, in conditions that harm their health and futures. 

“At Shelter we are doing everything we can through our frontline services to support families facing homelessness this winter. We couldn’t do this vital work without the generosity of our partners like B&Q, whose donations allow us to provide the advice, support, and practical help families need to find and keep a safe place to call home and campaign for lasting change.”

To find your nearest B&Q to purchase your tree and help donate towards B&Q and Shelter’s shared mission, visit: https://www.diy.com/find-a-store.

B&Q also fully funds Shelter’s DIY Skills Advisor Service that helps people to gain fundamental DIY skills to build a positive future in their homes by sharing practical skills and supporting home improvement tasks after a prolonged period of homelessness. For more information on B&Q’s partnership with Shelter visit: https://www.diy.com/responsible-business/community/shelter

*Consumer research - OnePoll research based on 2008 respondents between 22.11.24 and 25.11.24 

**Government figures - 159,380 children were living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of June 2024. This is 15% higher than at the end of June 2023 when there were 139.090 children in temporary accommodation. This data is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and is available at Statutory Homelessness Live Tables,  Number of households by type of temporary accommodation provided, Table TA1.

***Names have been changed in some instances on request from the contributors  

****Shelter research - Other temporary accommodation statistics are taken from a Shelter survey of 1,112 households between May and August 2022. See our report, Still Living in Limbo: Why the use of temporary accommodation must end - Shelter England (March 2023) for more detail. 

NB: Temporary accommodation is provided by councils to qualifying families who are homeless while they wait for their application to be processed and to be offered a suitable, settled home, and can take the form of emergency hostels, B&Bs, one-room bedsits and cramped flats. It was never intended to be used outside of emergencies, but with a shortage in social housing, it is often far from a temporary arrangement. Almost half (45%) of families who are homeless in temporary accommodation have been there for more than two years.

Source : B&Q 

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