LAST week it was revealed that across England nearly 160,000 children will spend Christmas without a safe home.

Many won't have known the joy of their own room or Christmas dinner around the table with family or presents under the tree.

But they will know the anxiety of watching their parents cook meals in a kettle or fight a losing battle against the cold and damp seeping through their temporary accommodation walls.

No child should have to face this.

Across Britain homelessness is rising. High rents and increasing living costs are pushing more and more people to the brink.

Now with the nights getting bitterly cold, people with nowhere to go will be forced to move between sofas, night buses and 24-hour cafes, in a desperate effort to stay safe and warm.

This is the brutal reality of being without a safe home and it must change.

At Crisis, we will soon be opening our Christmas services once again to support thousands of people experiencing rough sleeping or living in insecure accommodation such as hostels and B&Bs.

Once through our doors, people will have access to the specialist support we provide all year round so they can develop the skills and confidence to rebuild their lives away from homelessness.

But this vital work is only possible with the generosity of the British public.

So, we are asking you to help someone leave homelessness behind for good by giving the gift of a Crisis Christmas.

Help us be there for anyone who needs us. To donate to Crisis, please visit www.crisis.org.uk/christmasgift

Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis