Councillors in Ealing have approved a £150m plan to acquire housing in the face of soaring temporary accommodation costs.
Rising private rents and homelessness mean people are increasingly approaching the local authority for support, but its social housing supply has dropped by nearly 50% between 2011 and 2023, according to a council report.
The London borough has become increasingly reliant on temporary accommodation and has struggled to move people on – with one family having lived in temporary lodgings since 2005.
Within the borough, 411 families are in bed and breakfast accommodation, and the council had to house people in commercial hotels for the first time last year. There are now 208 families living in hotels, at a cost of £50,000 per household per year.
Last week, Ealing’s cabinet agreed that the new £150m capital programme would be phased in over the next two years, with an aim to acquire up to 300 units of housing.
A new resettlement team is also being formed to engage with people both in emergency and temporary accommodation.
