“How is Santa going to find me if we're homeless?” Eight-year-old boy fears he will be left without presents this year after he and his mother were kicked out of their home and moved into a hotel

A mother has revealed how her eight-year-old son asked her: 'How is Santa going to find us if we are homeless?' after being evicted and forced to move to a hotel.

Widow Sarah, whose son Marcel has learning difficulties, told the BBC how they were evicted from their rental apartment because the landlord decided to sell it.

Now they are waiting for Cardiff Council to find them permanent residence.

The council said there was a 'good supply' of temporary accommodation for 1,700 families.

But due to 'unprecedented demand' for accommodation, more than 200 people had to be housed in five hotels across the city.

Speaking to the BBCSarah said: 'No child should ever have to say that, they shouldn't have to worry about Christmas and whether he's going to get presents or not.'

The video revealed the hotel room where Sarah and Marcel are currently staying, with a shared bed and items lined up on the shelves.

Sarah went on to say that Neville has global developmental delays and learning difficulties, and that without a routine he “gets confused,” having “meltdown upon meltdown.”

She told the BBC: 'He doesn't sleep much because he often wakes up at night scared by the banging and people moving around in a hotel.'

Marcel doesn't like the dark and wakes up screaming during the night.

Cardiff Council said it was prioritizing people in hotels for them to move.

The Council recently declared a housing emergency, with 'exceptional pressure' and 'unabated' demand for homelessness services.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Councilor Lynda Thorne, told a recent meeting of the Full Council that the city was going through an “incredibly challenging” time.

But, she said, the Welsh capital was not alone; other major cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh also declared a housing emergency.

“Cardiff is in the eye of the storm of this issue in Wales,” Councilor Thorne said. “It's the most challenging time for housing in decades.

'We are doing everything we can to find a solution and a series of actions are proposed to alleviate this pressure.'

According to the Welsh Government, there were 1,602 cases of homeless people placed in temporary accommodation in September 2023.

Of these, 397 were dependent children under the age of 16.

In August 2023, 648 homeless people were moved into long-term housing, 39 fewer than in July 2023.

Of these, 241 were dependent children under the age of 16.