Councils in England spent £1.7bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households last year, new government figures have revealed.
The total spend for April 2022 - March 2023 is up by 9% on the previous year – and has risen by 62% in the past five years.
A third of the total, £565m, was spent on emergency B&Bs and hostels. Over five years, this has increased by 53%.
Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said the amount spent on temporary accommodation was ‘outrageous’ and ‘illogical’.
Ms Neate added: ‘We simply can’t keep throwing money at grim B&Bs and hostels instead of focusing on helping families into a home.’
Executive director of social housing provider Riverside Care and Support, John Glenton, said: ‘If more funding was invested in building new social housing, homelessness prevention and tenancy sustainment we would reduce spending on temporary accommodation.
‘This would deliver significant savings for the public purse and families themselves will also benefit by being able to rebuild their lives more quickly and more sustainably.’
