Homelessness | LocalGov


Record number of children in temporary accommodation 30/04/2025 A record 165,510 children are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation, according to the latest homelessness figures.
200k children risk being trapped in temporary accommodation 29/04/2025 Over 200,000 children could be in temporary accommodation by the end of this Parliament if more isn’t done to build social housing, homelessness charity warns.
London boroughs issue bankruptcy warning over £330m overspend 23/04/2025 Town halls may soon be forced into effectively declaring bankruptcy if more is not done to tackle the £330m homelessness overspend, London Councils warns.
Council rejects accusation it acted illegally in homeless mother case 22/04/2025 A London borough maintains that it has acted legally after the local government ombudsman accused it of refusing to find temporary housing for a pregnant woman.
Social housing wait over a hundred years in some areas 09/04/2025 The Government has been urged to tackle the worsening housing crisis as new research reveals a century-long wait for social housing in parts of England.
Temporary accommodation crisis ‘utterly shameful’, MPs say 03/04/2025 Council chiefs have urged the Government to increase the temporary accommodation subsidy as MPs warn homeless children are living in ‘appalling conditions’.
Homelessness 'fastest growing financial risk' for London boroughs 28/03/2025 MPs have called for action to help local authorities in London tackle the rising costs of providing homelessness support.
Shortfall worsens after allocation changes 04/03/2025 Councils are facing an additional £76m shortfall in their temporary accommodation budgets following changes to the allocation of £440m homelessness grant.
Number of rough sleepers up by a fifth 28/02/2025 The number of people rough sleeping in England has increased by a fifth in a year, according to new government figures.
Call to scrap ringfence in homelessness funding 27/02/2025 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged the Government to scrap a new ringfence within the homelessness prevention grant.
Extra £30m to combat homelessness 26/02/2025 An additional £30m in emergency funding has been allocated to councils in England to help prevent evictions and support rough sleepers.
Rough sleeping ‘a source of national shame’, MPs say 13/02/2025 The rising number of people sleeping rough in England is a source of national shame, ministers have been told.
Croydon to use Peep Show flats for temporary housing 31/01/2025 Croydon Council is set to acquire part of Peep Show’s ‘Apollo House’, home of characters Mark and Jeremy, to house homeless people on a temporary basis.
Havering to house homeless people in empty Essex office block 27/01/2025 Cash-strapped Havering Council has approved plans to convert an office block outside the borough into residential units for homeless families.
‘No desire’ to address short-term homelessness system 24/01/2025 MPs examining the homelessness crisis have warned that there is seemingly ‘no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system’.
Rough sleeping emergency fund boosted by £20m 20/01/2025 The Government today announced it was tripling the emergency funding available for rough sleepers this winter.
‘Serious concerns’ about council’s homelessness service 10/01/2025 Brentwood Borough Council has been putting ‘unnecessary barriers’ in the way of people accessing its homelessness services, an investigation has found.
Councils get £1bn to tackle homelessness 18/12/2024 Local authorities in England will receive the ‘largest ever’ cash injection into homelessness services next year, the Government has announced today.
'Duty to collaborate' over homelessness call 16/12/2024 Labour-led London Councils has called for a ‘duty to collaborate' to be placed on five Whitehall departments as part of the Government's homelessness strategy.
Home Office doubles time for new refugees to find home 06/12/2024 The Home Office will temporarily give new refugees more time to move on from asylum accommodation, in a move it is hoped will reduce pressure on councils’ homelessness services.
Councils help rough sleepers as temperatures drop 20/11/2024 Local authorities across the country are offering emergency accommodation to people sleeping on the streets as temperatures fall below freezing.
NI rise threatens homelessness services 11/11/2024 The rise in national insurance announced in the Budget could be the ‘nail in the coffin’ for many organisations providing homelessness services, charities say.
Right to Buy could end for new council homes 08/11/2024 The deputy prime minister has suggested she wants to remove new council homes in England from the Right to Buy scheme.
Starmer pledges £3.5m for veterans facing homelessness 08/11/2024 The Government has announced an extra £3.5m to support veterans facing homelessness.
Emergency £10m rough sleepers fund launched 07/11/2024 An emergency £10m fund has been launched to protect rough sleepers from cold weather this winter.
Inquiry into temporary accommodation launched 31/10/2024 A select committee has launched an inquiry into how living in temporary accommodation impacts children and families, and the pressure it puts on local authority finances.
Budget: Chancellor confirms Right to Buy overhaul 30/10/2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed a raft of measures to tackle the ‘desperate lack of affordable housing’ including reform of the Right to Buy scheme.
Scotland faces 90% homelessness rise by 2040 29/10/2024 Scotland is set for a ‘homelessness crisis of alarming proportions’ if current trends persist, new research has found.
Council apologises after ‘vulnerable’ man left homeless 17/10/2024 Tower Hamlets Council has apologised after it left a vulnerable man with significant care needs unsupported when he was made homeless.
Just 5% of London private rentals affordable to low-income households 17/10/2024 Only 5% of private rental listings in London are affordable to households who use Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to pay their rent, new research has found.
Planning departments hit hardest by staff shortages 14/10/2024 Planning departments are facing the worst workforce shortages, with eight out of 10 experiencing recruitment and retention issues, new research has revealed.
Homeless youths missing from official stats 10/10/2024 The number of homeless young people in London is at a record high but is likely to be much higher than official figures suggest, a homelessness charity has warned.
Charities call for £1bn to prevent homelessness surge 10/10/2024 Almost £1bn of funding is due to leave the homelessness sector in April, leaving services facing a funding cliff-edge, a group of charities has warned.
Council’s ‘financial resilience’ in question 07/10/2024 The ‘financial resilience’ of Windsor and Maidenhead is in question after the Cabinet heard this year's forecast overspend had risen from £9.9m to £12.4m.
Councils illegally turning young homeless people away, charity warns 04/10/2024 Hundreds of young people who have approached councils for help with homelessness are being illegally turned away, the Guardian has reported.
Number of families in temporary accommodation hits record high 03/10/2024 The number of households living in temporary accommodation has hit a record high, new figures reveal.
Lambeth warns of ‘drastic savings’ without help 18/09/2024 Lambeth Council has called for urgent help in the Government’s Budget next month, at a time it said ‘could not be more critical’ for local authorities.
Several London councils ‘edging closer towards effective bankruptcy’ 12/09/2024 Boroughs in the capital are set to overspend by more than £600m this year as housing and homelessness pressures ‘wreak havoc’ on their finances, according to London Councils.
Manchester adopts Finnish housing scheme in UK first 12/09/2024 A housing scheme said to have significantly reduced homelessness in Finland is set to become a ‘guiding philosophy’ in Greater Manchester after a successful pilot.
LGA calls for longer asylum move-on time 11/09/2024 Councils have called for people to be allowed more time to leave Home Office accommodation after receiving an asylum decision.
No-fault evictions ban returns to Commons 11/09/2024 A ban on landlords evicting tenants without a valid reason is among the ‘landmark’ renting reforms to be introduced to Parliament today.
Warrington BC faces £29m overspend 03/09/2024 Warrington Borough Council could be facing a £29m overspend by the end of the financial year, the cabinet member for corporate finance has warned.
West Midlands councils warn region will be ‘financially unsustainable’ 02/09/2024 Seven council leaders in the West Midlands have warned there is a risk the region will have to declare itself as ‘financially unsustainable.’
Councils spend record £1bn on temporary accommodation 30/08/2024 Local authorities in England spent a record £1bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households last year, new analysis has revealed.
Teen left at self-harm risk after council’s housing delay 22/08/2024 A teenager with significant support needs was at significant risk of self-harm after a council left him ‘on the brink of homeless’, an ombudsman has reported.
Eastbourne warns of ‘extensive’ service cuts 14/08/2024 Eastbourne Borough Council has warned that rising costs of homelessness services have left it facing ‘extensive’ cuts to services.
Glasgow joins international homelessness forum 13/08/2024 Glasgow has joined local leaders from three continents to commit to ending homelessness and call for global action on the issue.
United call following homelessness surge 08/08/2024 The local government sector has united to call for urgent action following a surge in the number of homeless families.
Newham raises alarm over ‘spiralling’ homelessness costs 06/08/2024 Newham Council has warned it may need government assistance due to the ‘spiralling’ costs of supporting homeless people.
Homelessness pressures 'unsustainable' 24/07/2024 Councils face ‘unsustainable financial pressure' due to record levels of homelessness, according to a public spending watchdog.
How to tackle London’s housing crisis 18/07/2024 Piali Das Gupta, London Councils’ Strategy Director – London’s Future, looks at what the new government should do to solve the capital’s housing shortage.
Homelessness spending triples in eight years 02/07/2024 The proportion of councils’ total housing budget spent on homelessness and temporary accommodation has tripled since 2015, new analysis has revealed.
Rough sleeping in London hits new record high 27/06/2024 The final year of a Conservative government that pledged to end rough sleeping saw a record number of people sleeping on the streets of London.
Party leaders urged to act on migrant homelessness 25/06/2024 More than 100 homelessness and migrants’ rights organisations have called on the next government to stop the asylum system ‘driving people needlessly’ into destitution.
North Yorkshire Council to invest £11.6m in temporary accommodation 20/06/2024 North Yorkshire Council is set to build 90 new temporary accommodation units at a cost of £11.6m.
Build 90,000 social homes per year, party leaders told 20/06/2024 Charities and housing bodies have urged the major parties to commit to building 90,000 social homes per year over the next decade.
Cash-strapped Slough BC faces going £11m over budget 13/06/2024 The leadership of Slough BC should take ‘immediate action’ as the council is at risk of going £11m over budget this year, according to cabinet papers.
Quarter of councils spending 5% of budgets on temporary accommodation 05/06/2024 One in four local councils in England spent 5% of their core budgets on temporary accommodation in 2022-23, new research has revealed.
Pembrokeshire buys housing stock worth £3.5m 21/05/2024 Pembrokeshire County Council has spent more than £3.5m acquiring housing since November.
North Yorkshire aims to build 500 council homes 20/05/2024 North Yorkshire Council has published its first housing strategy, which includes an ambition to build 500 council homes over five years.
Government waters down rough sleeping legislation 14/05/2024 The Government has watered down plans to criminalise rough sleeping following a Tory backbench rebellion.
Tower Hamlets apologises after ‘gatekeeping’ finding 13/05/2024 Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family threatened with eviction, an ombudsman has found.
Record 145,800 children live in temporary accommodation 30/04/2024 There are 145,800 children who are homeless and in temporary accommodation, new government figures have shown.
MPs sign off indefinite delay to no-fault evictions ban 25/04/2024 The Renters (Reform) Bill, which now includes an indefinite delay to the long-awaited ban on ‘no-fault’ evictions, passed its third reading in the Commons yesterday.
Over 84k households evicted since no-fault eviction ban promise 15/04/2024 Over 84,000 households have faced homelessness due to being issued with a section 21 notice since the Government committed to ban no-fault evictions.
Councils face £332m youth homelessness shortfall 15/04/2024 Local authorities in England are facing a £332m annual shortfall in youth homelessness funding, new research has revealed.
Proposed law could ease housing emergencies 27/03/2024 Scottish councils may be required to assess the condition of private rented accommodation under a proposed law.
Young homeless people feel ‘ignored’ by councils 27/03/2024 Young people experiencing homelessness feel ‘dismissed and ignored’ when they approach local authorities for help, research has found.
Leicester council to borrow £45m to buy property 26/03/2024 Leicester councillors have agreed to borrow £45m to buy property to help the city council tackle the local housing crisis.
Call for reintroduction of housing targets 22/03/2024 A cross-party coalition representing 27 mid-sized regional British cities has called for the next Government to reintroduce local housebuilding targets.
Hopes for regen scheme revived after Home Office scales back asylum plan 20/03/2024 A £300m council-led regeneration scheme threatened when Whitehall commandeered the site for asylum accommodation could now go ahead.
Council apologises for failing to recognise abuse 14/03/2024 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has apologised after failing to properly identify the abuse suffered by a homeless man.
Homelessness inquiry launched by NAO 13/03/2024 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched an inquiry into homelessness as the issue piles pressure on squeezed council budgets.
Crawley leaders warns of housing emergency 13/03/2024 The leader of Crawley Council has called on the Government to ‘take decisive action’ to address the city’s housing emergency.
Call for ‘emergency action’ over rough sleeping spike 29/02/2024 A homelessness charity has called for ‘emergency action’ over ‘out of control’ levels of rough sleeping in England.
London boroughs spend £3m a day on temporary accommodation 28/02/2024 The cost of temporary accommodation in the capital ‘threatens to bankrupt boroughs’, London Councils has warned.
£220m boost for homelessness services 28/02/2024 The Government has announced £220m for councils to prevent families from becoming homeless and provide support for people sleeping rough.
Eastbourne BC to vote on declaring housing emergency 28/02/2024 Eastbourne BC, the local authority behind a recent Westminster summit on the temporary-accommodation crisis, will today vote on declaring a housing emergency.
Home Office 'chaos' leaves thousands of illegal arrivals in 'perma-backlog' 27/02/2024 The Government’s struggling asylum policy has heaped significant demand on cities’ housing services, experts have warned.
Durham secures £6m to tackle homelessness 27/02/2024 Durham County Council has successfully secured over £6m in funding to tackle homelessness.
Social housing investment could boost economy by over £50bn 26/02/2024 Much more investment in the construction of social housing could boost the economy by a dramatic £51.2bn, according to a new analysis.
Ukrainian homelessness likely to rise 22/02/2024 The risk of homelessness among Ukrainians in the UK is likely to increase as arrangements with sponsors end or break down, MPs have warned.
Prince William announces 24 homes for homeless people 19/02/2024 Prince William has announced plans to build 24 homes to temporarily house homeless people on Duchy of Cornwall land.
Council chiefs call for review of Ukrainian refugee scheme 19/02/2024 Council leaders have called for an urgent review of funding for Ukrainian refugees as 9,000 have reported as homeless and more need longer-term support.
Ealing agrees £150m package to buy up housing 14/02/2024 Councillors in Ealing have approved a £150m plan to acquire housing in the face of soaring temporary accommodation costs.
The Temporary Housing Dilemma: a strategic approach 07/02/2024 Darya Kolas, Partner & Head of Social Housing at Copping Joyce, discusses the temporary housing dilemma facing local authorities.
Scotland’s homelessness system 'at risk of failure' 02/02/2024 Scotland’s homelessness system is on the brink of collapse, according to the country’s housing watchdog.
Rough sleeping in London reaches record high 01/02/2024 More people were sleeping rough in the capital at the end of 2023 than at any period in the past decade.
Health boost for Housing First residents, research finds 01/02/2024 Housing First – under which homeless people are guaranteed a home while they access support – reduces demand on health and social care services, study finds.
Two in five adults fear mounting housing pressures 24/01/2024 Two in five people who pay housing costs in England are worried that pressures will get worse this year, new research has found.
Homelessness costs could spell ‘end of local government’ 24/01/2024 The increasing cost of homelessness could lead to more councils declaring effective bankruptcy and the ‘end of local government’, council leaders warn.
£17m to help rough sleepers for councils ‘most in need’ 16/01/2024 The Government has provided £17m to help homeless people off the streets as it insisted it would deliver its pledge to end rough sleeping this year.
Homelessness charities extend Crisis at Christmas service 05/01/2024 National homelessness charities Crisis and St Mungo’s are teaming up for a third year to extend their hotel service in London into the new year.
Rural homelessness up 40% 04/01/2024 Levels of homelessness in rural areas have increased by 40% over the last five years, research by a countryside charity has revealed.
Half of teachers work with homeless children 22/12/2023 The ‘nightmare of child homelessness’ is damaging children’s education as they suffer exhaustion, hunger and poor mental health, Shelter has warned.
Boroughs have ‘nothing to offer’ as refugee homelessness rises 07/12/2023 New research has found that an increasing number of refugees are rough sleeping in London after leaving Home Office accommodation.
Home Office admits 'more we can and need to do' 30/11/2023 More needs to be done to share data and improve communications with councils, Home Office mandarins have admitted.
Nottingham issues section 114 notice 29/11/2023 Cash-strapped Nottingham City Council has been forced to issue a section 114 notice after revealing it faces a significant in-year deficit.
Thousands of refugees face homelessness at Christmas, LGA warns 29/11/2023 The Government’s push to clear the asylum backlog is putting ‘tens of thousands’ of refugees at risk of homelessness over Christmas, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
MPs warn local services on ‘knife edge’ 28/11/2023 MPs have warned that key local services are on a ‘knife edge’ due to the poor financial health of councils in England.