One in five families with children in temporary accommodation (TA) in England—and a third of families in London—have been living there for five or more years, official statistics reveal.
Published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the data shows there are now 132,410 households homeless in temporary accommodation in the period from April to June 2025 – up nearly 8% in a year.
It also found that 172,420 children – more than the entire population of Oxford – are currently living in TA, marking a new record.
Tom Darling, director at the Renters' Reform Coalition, said the latest figures are a ‘moral stain on society’, adding: ‘TA barely merits the term “accommodation”. Cramped, unhealthy and lacking facilities – it's totally unsuitable for families with children, particularly for long periods of time.’
Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, urged the Government to ‘unfreeze’ local housing allowance in the Autumn Budget, so that it covers at least the bottom third of local rents.
To read more about the upcoming Autumn Budget check out the following from our Autumn Budget Insights series: The local government balancing act by Jonathan Werran, chief executive of Localis.
