The number of people recorded as homeless in Kirklees has reached an estimated 206 - but the true figure is likely to be much higher, a charity has warned.
Housing charity Shelter has compiled figures which reveal Kirklees has the eighth worst level of homelessness in Yorkshire, with Doncaster the worst hit followed by Hull, Wakefield, Harrogate and Bradford.
Calderdale is in 15th spot.
The charity called its findings “shocking”.
The homeless stats for Kirklees - which are conservative estimates based on official figures - show 201 people are in temporary accommodation and five are rough sleepers.
Six rough sleepers were recorded in Calderdale and 29 in temporary accommodation.
Across Yorkshire there are now around 4,800 people recorded as homeless, Shelter said.
The charity combined official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures but a spokesman said: “As government records are not definitive, the true figure of homelessness is likely to be even higher.”
To identify where the problem is most acute in Yorkshire, the charity mapped the top five hotspots in the region with the highest levels of homelessness.
Doncaster topped the list where one in every 642 people are homeless. This was followed by Hull (one in 897), Wakefield (one in 1,130), and Harrogate (one in 1,202).
In Kirklees, one in 2,122 people are homeless. In Calderdale it is one in 5,993.
Shelter has launched an urgent appeal in response to what it called the “mounting crisis”, calling on the public to support its frontline advisers as they try to help people to stay in their home or find a new one.
A charity spokesman said: “It’s shocking to think that today thousands of people in Yorkshire and the Humber are waking up homeless. Some will have spent the night shivering on a cold pavement, others crammed into a dingy, hostel room with their children. And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for.
“On a daily basis we speak to 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 welfare cuts.
“As this crisis continues to unfold the work of our frontline advisers 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 right now.”
The charity’s report, Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017, also shows just how hard it can be to escape homelessness amid a drought of affordable homes and welfare reforms, such as the four-year freeze on housing benefit.
Across England, over a third of people currently living in temporary accommodation will still be homeless in a year’s time.
To support Shelter’s appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.
