Circumstances can change lives in an instant.

One minute you can be earning a wage, affording the roof over your head, and the next you may lose your job, be struggling to meet mortgage payments and be forced to make the decision whether to heat your home or eat.

For some, this is grim reality, and fears are increasing that the impact of a long and drawn-out recession coupled with other financial constraints could lead many more to sleep out on the streets.

Compared to last year, a third more people in Bradford have become homeless and the number of men without a roof over their head has particularly grown.

Juli Thompson, project manager of Bradford’s Inn Churches initiative, which helps those sleeping on the streets get into independent living and provides temporary winter accommodation to those desperately seeking shelter, says job losses have forced many men out on the streets, particularly those whose homes came as part of their jobs.

Juli fears the benefit changes will have a greater impact on the current situation, but she says the multi-agency approach which exists in the city, with organisations such as Bradford Council, the Christian homeless charity Hope Housing and The Carers Resource, is helping to tackle the issue.

The £1.5 million development of St Mary’s RC Church in East Parade, Barkerend, by the Emmaus Community to provide 24-bed accommodation for the homeless is another indication of the positive work under way.

Demand has already been demonstrated through the Government-funded Warm Homes Healthy People Project, which provides practical support such as home energy checks, food parcels and blankets for vulnerable communities, Juli says since the project started in December they have already had 600 referrals. “I have had lots of desperate people ringing up with things like their boiler has broken and they cannot afford to fix it. It is either heat or eat,” says Juli.

She says the unseasonable spring cold snap is also having an impact on household bills. The knock-on effect could leave people struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments and may, ultimately, lead to some losing the roof over their head.

According to the national housing charity Shelter, 8.6 million people do not have enough savings put by to cover their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, the charity found.

Shelter says it is bracing itself for a “surge in demand” from people whose budgets have tightened as a recent round of benefit changes kicks in.

Campbell Robb, the charity’s chief executive, says: “These figures paint an alarming picture of a nation where the buffer between having a home and potentially becoming homeless is a single pay cheque.

“The depth of the financial pressure and insecurity felt by people across the country means that millions are living on the edge of a crisis, only secure in their homes for a matter of weeks.”

Adam Clark, project co-ordinator at Hope Housing, says: “There are lots of people who are in need of help, and we are seeing more and more people who are made homeless while they are still employed, which is a bit unusual.”

Adam says that people often lose their homes if their hours are reduced and they can no longer afford the payments on the property they took on when they were earning more.

“In my experience, people get made homeless in a short space of time. Things happen really quickly and circumstances spiral against them, which means they suddenly end up with nothing.”

While acknowledging it was a problem, Adam says it is being addressed. “There are lots of great services and I do think we work together quite well.”

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman says: “While figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show repossessions are falling, we are not complacent and would urge anyone facing financial difficulties to seek early help to avoid losing their home.

“We have one of the strongest safety nets in the world against homelessness, bolstered by £470 million Government cash, and Shelter to provide information and advice services.”