Children can wait years for a permanent home, Shelter says

Shelter says a record 73,782 youngsters will wake-up in temporary accommodation in the UK capital this year.

The charity says living in this type of accommodation can have a detrimental effect on children's health, education and overall development.

Shelter is calling on the government to end this situation as part of its Million Children Campaign.

'Crowded accommodation'

Ben Jackson, from the charity, told BBC News: "We tend to think of homelessness only as those literally living on the streets. Obviously these children aren't on the streets but they have no sort of long-term home.

"They've become homeless through various different reasons but what's supposed to be short-term emergency accommodation before they are rehoused, is often turned into months, even years, of waiting in this insecure accommodation.

"The reality of this is often they are in fairly crowded accommodation, moved from one place to another so it is very difficult for them to settle into a school."

Rising house prices are among the problems that cause homelessness, according to Shelter.