New research from Shelter Cymru has revealed that one in seven adults in Wales have made cuts to their other spending in order to be able to afford their rent or mortgage, rising to one third of people who rent their homes from private landlords.

At a time when rents in Wales are rising faster than anywhere else in Britain this highlights the strain that individuals and families are facing, with many at significant risk of homelessness because of those pressures.

Right now, Wales is gripped by a housing emergency, with one in every 210 children in Wales homeless and trapped in temporary accommodation. For families this can mean living in B&Bs or being accommodated miles from schools or workplaces.

Speaking about the new figures, Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru, said: “These shocking statistics are a stark reminder of the challenges that tens of thousands of households are facing right now. With Shelter Cymru seeing every day the impossible decisions that people are being faced with.”

Official statistics published by the Welsh Government show that in 2024/25 the most common reason for people to seek support from their local council when threatened with homelessness was the ‘loss of rented or tied accommodation’. And Shelter Cymru has also revealed that almost half of the cases it deals with are related to the private rented sector.

With the UK Government having refused to increase housing benefit rates at the Budget in November, this is also a situation that may worsen in the coming months. With the research also revealing that almost half of private renters expect to have to cut spending to continue afford their rent in the future.

For individuals and families across Wales who rent privately this is clearly a worrying time and without further help and support from both the government and from charities like Shelter Cymru many more people may face homelessness in the coming months.

Ruth Power, added: “At a time when there are already more than 10,000 people – including more than 2,000 children – homeless and trapped in temporary accommodation, the fact that tens of thousands more are struggling to cover the cost of rent is deeply worrying.

“At Shelter Cymru we see daily the impact that homelessness and unfit housing has on people and on communities. But we also see what can be achieved when the right support is made available, with homelessness prevented in 90% of the relevant cases that we worked on in 2024/25. Something that is only possible because of the support that people across Wales give to us.

“This is why we’ve launched our Winter Appeal, asking anyone who can to donate to support our work – this will ensure people experiencing or at risk of homelessness can continue to rely on us for advice, help and support.”