The number of calls handled by Shelter Scotland’s free national helpline rose again this year as the housing charity revealed that every 18 minutes a household in Scotland is assessed as homeless - 81 a day.

The number of calls answered by advisors, who help with any housing issue from mortgage arrears, private renting and homelessness – rose by almost 17% to 19,024, up from 16,264 during the same period the previous year.

According to the charity, the number of calls made to its helpline rose to 21,284 in the last year (30 October 2014 – 1 November 2015), up from 19,906 the previous year – a 7% rise.

The charity expects more than 1,500 people to call for help over the coming festive season.

Shelter Scotland’s helpline is entirely funded by donations. The charity says that in the face of the housing crisis, its advisers have been able to answer almost 90% of calls – up from 80% last year - and help thousands more people after investing in new systems for its helpline with money raised through partnerships with companies like Marks & Spencer, which raises money for the charity through its Christmas Food on the Move range.

This year, the tenth anniversary of the partnership with Shelter, M&S will again donate 5% of every sale of its Christmas ‘Food on the Move’ range directly to Shelter’s helpline, which includes sales of fresh sandwiches, warm food and coffee.

Since 2005, Marks & Spencer and its customers have raised in excess of £2 million for Shelter and Shelter Scotland. A total of £7.7 million has been raised since 1998 through the Food on the Move range, Christmas cards and stock donations to Shelter shops.

Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Every 18 minutes a household in Scotland is assessed as homeless. That’s 81 a day. Our helpline is a vital lifeline for these people, but to keep it going and make it better we need to invest in it.

“Shelter Scotland receives no funding to run our busy helpline, so support from the public and partners such as Marks & Spencer is incredibly important to us to ensure we can continue helping families and individuals at a time when they need it most. We thank them all for their ongoing support.”

In Scotland: