Children in Temporary Accommodation Reaches Record 145,800 Across England
New government data reveals that 145,800 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation, marking an eighteenth consecutive quarterly rise. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities released figures for the period ending March, indicating a substantial increase from the previous year’s 129,550 children.
Rising Numbers and Urgent Concerns
Among those displaced are 4,020 infants under one year old, underscoring the acute vulnerability of families without stable housing. The overall number of households in temporary accommodation also saw an increase, reaching 112,660 – up 10.5% from the previous year. Of these, 13,740 households are housed in bed and breakfast facilities, with 9,930 including children. It is understood that more than a thousand of these families have been in such accommodation for over six weeks, in contravention of legal limits designed to protect welfare.
Local authorities face escalating challenges, with some councils reportedly spending upwards of £60m annually on temporary housing provisions. This financial strain is compounded by a chronic shortage of affordable social housing and the persistent pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. Campaigners have criticised successive governments for failing to address the root causes of homelessness, which continue to displace thousands of children into precarious living arrangements.
