A crisis in temporary accommodation in England is leaving record high numbers of children without a permanent home.
Many of these children are living in appalling conditions, with significant impacts to their health and education, says the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee in a report published today.
The report points to the rising costs to local councils of providing this accommodation – local authorities spent a combined £2.29 billion on temporary accommodation in 2023/24 – with over 164,000 homeless children currently living in temporary accommodation.
The Committee’s report sets out a series of recommendations for the Government and for local authorities and highlights the shocking conditions of some temporary accommodation.
The report also outlines the damaging impact of unsuitable accommodation to the development, wellbeing, education, and health of children and flags safeguarding concerns around instances of children and families sharing communal facilities with strangers, including those with a history of domestic abuse.
The report points to egregious hazards present in some temporary accommodation, including serious damp and mould, excessive cold, and mice infestations, and overcrowding which results in cases of older children sharing beds with their parents or siblings, and children without the floor space to crawl or learn to walk.
The report also states that some temporary accommodation sourced by local authorities is of such poor quality that it may pose a severe risk to children’s health. The Committee highlighting the “shocking” data that temporary accommodation contributed to the deaths of at least 74 children, of whom 58 were under the age of one, in the last five years.
Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “It is utterly shameful that so many families are living in B&Bs, bedsits and hotels that are completely unsuitable to their needs; having to travel for hours simply to get to school or work, not having basics like cots and radiator covers, not even having the space to learn to walk or crawl. When 74 children had their deaths linked to temporary accommodation in the last five years, it’s clear we need to act urgently to bring an end to this crisis before any more young lives are ruined or lost.
“The devastating reality is that over 164,000 children are stuck in a situation where they don’t have a permanent roof over their own head, and that many families will be stuck in so-called temporary accommodation for years. This isn’t temporary and it isn’t acceptable. We cannot expect children to have the best outcomes in life if they spend so long being forced to live out of suitcases and without basics like a private kitchen and bathroom.
“Our committee is clear that more must be done to ensure children do not fall through the cracks into appalling conditions, including by carrying out regular checks on the quality of accommodation and making safeguarding a top priority when placing families.
“Beyond the appalling impact on children and families, this crisis doesn’t deliver value for money for taxpayers. Councils in London alone are spending £4 million a day on this form of accommodation, while billions are spent nationwide every year. That’s why our solution to the housing crisis must include enough social housing and genuinely affordable homes to ensure every child has a permanent place to call home.”
Cllr Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the LGA, said:
“Every child and family deserve quality, stable accommodation, and councils strive to make sure that the necessary support is available.
“While councils endeavour to place homeless households in their home area, sometimes the decision is made to do an out of area placement, due to availability of housing stock or other factors.
“It is no secret that the scale of the challenge facing local government on temporary accommodation and homelessness – and the financial pressures – are immense.
“Frozen temporary accommodation subsidy rates have left councils to pick up more than £700 million in temporary accommodation costs that they are unable to claim back from government.
“Government needs to use the upcoming Spending Review to ensure that councils are sufficiently resourced, including by urgently increasing the temporary accommodation subsidy.”
