Ashley Wilcox from Care Zone said families came to them asking for help with basic furniture items
A furniture bank said it has been helping families whose children were sleeping on floors, piles of clothes and other makeshift beds.
Peterborough-based Care Zone, which has a warehouse on the edge of the city, plans to spend £80,000 this year on beds and mattresses for local families.
"Many children are sleeping on a pile of clothes, or maybe just on the hard floor," said Ashley Wilcox from Care Zone, adding: "That's not good enough."
Peterborough City Council said it was working with local charities to reach as many families in crisis as possible.
The warehouse stores everything from beds and sofas to long-life food items
Care Zone is one of several organisations part of the council's crisis resilience fund, a network helping people with food parcels, advice and other services.
Its volunteers clean and repair donated furniture and other household goods, giving out more than 3,500 larger items last year and 425 smaller items, such as saucepans and tin openers.
Of the 1,900 people who used Care Zone last year, about 845 were children.
This year the warehouse is piled high with brand new mattresses ready for families in need.
"We see families that have basically been in temporary accommodation," said Wilcox.
"There might be a family of five in one single room sharing a few beds, sleeping on the floor, nowhere to cook."
He said tackling bed poverty was a priority because of the impact it had on children's education.
"For children in particular, a good night's sleep is really essential.
"By giving them a bed, they have a much better chance at doing better in school."
