More than 75,000 children are housed in temporary accommodation in London because of a lack of affordable housing and low benefits.
A report from Centre for London has found that 59% of England’s households in temporary accommodation currently reside in the capital. This represents 56,500 households, including 75,580 children.
The think tank also found that over 80% of all England’s out-of-borough temporary accommodation placements are in London. Seven percent of these placements moved the households outside of London, often separating families from vital social connections.
The report, titled Temporary Accommodation: London’s hidden homelessness crisis, the report concluded that the capital’s higher cost of living and the wider housebuilding crisis are the driving force behind the high demand for temporary accommodation.
Centre for London called for an increase in the homelessness-prevention grants available to local authorities to help them assist those at risk of homelessness due to the cost-of-living crisis.
It also called for more ‘general needs’ affordable homes to ease supply issues and said the Government should work closely with the Mayor of London to subsidise councils to increase their own supply of temporary accommodation.
Claire Harding, research director at Centre for London said: ‘Far too many Londoners are already stuck in temporary accommodation and we’re really worried that the number will rise this winter.
‘But it doesn’t need to be this way: the Everyone In programme, which addressed rough sleeping during the pandemic, shows what can happen when government puts money and focus into tackling homelessness. We can do the same for the children and families in London who use temporary accommodation.’
