Housing and homelessness charity Shelter today launches its 2024 Christmas campaign, titled ‘World of our Own’, which steps into an imaginary world to escape the harsh reality of temporary accommodation. It comes as figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that over 150,000 children in England are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, an increase of 20,000 since last year and the record highest ever. The film opens in an imaginary world and shows a little girl Mia and her dad spacewalking across an alien landscape. On their adventures the pair search the planet for the Space Palace, Father Christmas waves to them as he flies towards Earth and they high-five an alien octopus voiced by comedian, podcaster and writer Adam Buxton, until suddenly the harsh reality of living in temporary accommodation intrudes and brings them back to earth – because this is a world of make believe, created by Dad as an escape from the shocking experience of children living in temporary accommodation. At the end of the film Mia and Dad return to the fantasy world, before a flicker of emotion on his face shows the constant stress he’s bravely hiding from his daughter, while trying to make her feel safe. The film ends with the tagline: ‘Love alone can’t protect a child from homelessness, but your donations could.’
