Number of households with children in temporary accommodation reaches record high

Government data reveals that the number of households with children in temporary accommodation in England is at its highest since records began 22 years ago.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s most recent figures show a 15.1% increase in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation from June 2023 to June 2024.

The total of 78,420 households at the end of June is higher than any figure since records began in 2002. It is the second successive month the record has been broken.

A total of 159,380 dependent children were living in temporary accommodation as of June.

As councils struggled to cope with the demand for accommodation, 5,910 households with children were placed in bed and breakfasts, representing a 31.9% increase from the previous year.

The number of households who remained in bed and breakfasts for more than six weeks was 3770 – a 50.2% increase on last year. The total number of households in temporary accommodation increased 16% to 123,100 year-on-year.

Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, said: “It is absolutely heartbreaking that hundreds of thousands of children are being forced to live in substandard temporary accommodation. No child should have to sleep in a damp and mouldy B&B.

“With the cost of living increasing, the number of social homes being built decreasing, and benefits remaining frozen, this will only get worse unless we adopt a new approach.”

Downie called on the government to deliver 90,000 social homes each year “to tackle homelessness in the long run.”

Data unveiled in August 2024 showed that councils in England spent £2.3bn on temporary accommodation between April 2023 and March 2024.

John Glenton, executive director of care and support at housing association Riverside, said: “With more than 123,000 households and 159,000 homeless children living in temporary accommodation it is time to start treating the homelessness crisis as a national emergency.

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“There has now been no significant investment in hostels in England since 2011 and the number of bed spaces in England has fallen by almost a quarter (24%) between 2010 and 2022.

“Riverside’s data shows more than four-fifths of people (83%) moved on from homelessness in 2021/22 after staying in our hostels and shelters for up to 24 months.

“Increasing investment in hostels and supported housing would give England the scale it needs to get more people out of temporary accommodation and into a dedicated space where they can receive the support they need to move back into mainstream housing.”