Housing charity Shelter are calling for urgent government intervention in order to quell the rising levels of homelessness in the UK, warning that without it figures will continue to skyrocket.
New government statutory homelessness figures reveal 165,510 children are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation – a 14% increase in a year and the eighth record high in two years. Meanwhile nearly one in three homeless households (32%) are stuck in temporary accommodation out of their area.
The new data for October to December 2024 provides a grim snapshot of the deepening housing emergency in England with:
43,110 stuck in very expensive nightly-paid accommodation, which can include self-contained rooms, that are even more cramped than B&Bs – a rise of 47% in a year.
41,070 households uprooted from their communities and now housed in out of area temporary accommodation – a 23% rise in a year. Nearly half (46%) of London households are accommodated out of area.
23,230 households stuck in B&Bs and hostels – some of the most damaging forms of temporary accommodation for children – a rise of 5% in a year.
Using historical trends and government data, new analysis by Shelter estimates that 206,000 children will be homeless by 2029 and the number of households in temporary accommodation could surge by 44%. Without critical investment in social housing, the charity says that the cost of temporary accommodation is on track to spiral by 71% to £3.9 billion by 2029.
Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, said: “The housing emergency has reached critical levels and 165,510 children are paying the price. Without serious investment in social homes, our research shows homelessness will continue to skyrocket up and down the country and temporary accommodation costs risk bankrupting councils.
“In the absence of enough social homes, people are being funnelled into and trapped in temporary accommodation for years on end while billions are spent on sticking plaster solutions. Families are stuffed into unsuitable spaces, living on top of each other and out of suitcases, never knowing if and when they’ll be forced to uproot their lives.
“With the June Spending Review a few short weeks away, now is the time to turn the tide on the housing emergency. Government can and must commit ambitious investment to the only solution that works – 90,000 social rent homes a year for ten years would end homelessness for good.”
Figures like these will continue to make headlines without radical action and intervention. Beyond even the economic consequences of the rising levels of households in temporary accommodation, the human cost is immeasurable. Unstable housing conditions are known to have a catastrophic effect on both mental and physical health, especially for children, and drastic measures must be taken in order to put an end to these terrifying figures, which are becoming all too common.
