Multitudes of kids have resided in temporary housing for their entire existence
In the heart of Manchester, a family has been residing in temporary accommodation for nine long years, a stark reminder of the ongoing housing crisis in the UK. This situation is far from unique, as families across the country, including those in Birmingham and Kent, find themselves in similar predicaments.
The issue of temporary accommodation has been under scrutiny, with research pointing towards its futility as a long-term solution. Local authorities have a duty to provide temporary accommodation for homeless families, but there is no statutory time limit on how long this can last, leaving many families in limbo for months or even years.
In high-demand areas like London, some families have spent over six months in temporary housing, with some enduring much longer durations. This prolonged stay is a consequence of housing shortages and rising homelessness. For asylum seekers, government-supported temporary accommodation can last up to 18 months or more before transfer to other housing forms, but this is a distinct category from general homeless temporary accommodation.
Recent data underscores the growing demand and backlog, with over 130,000 households in temporary accommodation nationally and over 69,000 in London alone in 2024. Alarmingly, almost 14,000 households have been in temporary accommodation for more than five years.
Citizens UK, a community organising charity, is urging all political parties to prioritise ending child homelessness in the upcoming general election. They propose a commitment to introduce and enforce improved standards in temporary accommodation and to set a statutory limit on the length of time people can be stuck in temporary accommodation.
Shelter, a homelessness charity, has declared that the housing emergency is spiralling out of control. They advocate for investing in social homes to prevent children from growing up in temporary accommodation. An ongoing topic of concern is the record-breaking number of homeless children in temporary accommodation. Between July and September last year, 109,000 homeless households were in temporary accommodation, including 142,490 children.
Matthew Bolton, executive director of Citizens UK, claims that without government intervention, councils will not be able to supply enough homes to remove families from temporary housing. Thousands of families have been housed in temporary accommodation for more than a decade, a situation that is far from temporary.
An emergency summit on the temporary accommodation crisis is scheduled for councils to attend, while Citizens UK is campaigning to improve standards and make urgent repairs in temporary accommodation at the local level. The hashtags #HousingEmergency and #BuildSocialHomes are rallying cries in this ongoing struggle to address the housing crisis.
- The local government has a responsibility to enforce improved standards in temporary accommodation and establish a statutory limit on the duration of stay, as advocated by Citizens UK in an attempt to end child homelessness.
- Apart from focusing on housing, there is a growing need for continuous investment in science and health-and-wellness initiatives to address the significant impact of substandard living conditions on the physical and mental well-being of individuals in temporary accommodation.
