Number of children in temporary accommodation in England hits new record high

The number of homeless children has continued to surge in England, official government figures show, as the Labour government is urged to boost housing benefit to help families afford the cost of renting.

A total of 169,050 children were living in temporary accommodation in England as of March this year while the number of households in temporary housing has risen almost 12% in the last year to 131,140. Both are the latest record highs.

Overall, the number of households approaching their local council for homelessness assistance and requiring support dropped between January and March 2025.

The 83,450 households who contacted local authorities in the period represented a 6% fall on the same quarter last year.

But homelessness remains at crisis point in England and is costing councils a significant sum.

Homelessness charities responded to the government figures, published on Tuesday (22 July), with a call to unfreeze local housing allowance rates and to publish a homelessness strategy to “break the cycle” and move towards prevention. Labour is set to publish its long-term homelessness strategy later this year.

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, the membership body for homelessness services, said: “It is terrifying to see ever higher numbers of people pushed into homelessness, and families condemned to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation, with no end in sight.

“The system is simply firefighting, and at colossal public cost. Large scale changes are needed to break this vicious cycle, and we urge the government to use its forthcoming homelessness strategy to achieve this. Vitally, it must shift the focus to prevention, establishing cross-government responsibility to ensure that people receive early support to remain in their homes.”

The number of households living in temporary accommodation has surged in recent years, rising above 100,000 in December 2022 and surging to 131,140 just over two years later.

Meanwhile the number of children living in temporary accommodation is now double the levels seen when Labour was last in government, according to Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) analysis.

The number of households living in emergency accommodation like B&Bs and hostels is now 22,700, Shelter said. This has doubled in the last decade, from 10,310 in 2015. 

But there has been a steep fall in the number of households with children living in B&B accommodation in the last year. A total of 3,870 households with children were B&Bs, down 30% when compared to March 2024. 

The legal limit for families with children living in B&Bs is six weeks. A total of 2,300 households breached that limit, also down 28% annually.

Labour has launched a £5 million emergency reduction pilot working with 20 local councils with the highest use of B&B accommodation to reduce the use of the emergency accommodation.

The government also pledged to invest £39 billion in building affordable and social housing over the next decade at the recent spending review in a bid to tackle homelessness.

Read more:

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Matt Downie, Crisis chief executive, said: “While the Westminster government has made a hugely welcome commitment to build social housing at scale, these figures drive home the need to relieve the pressure on struggling households right now.”

Downie joined Shelter, JRF, Generation Rent and more in calling on the government to unfreeze local housing allowance rates to ensure housing benefit covers the bottom third of rents.

Labour opted to freeze rates in April this year. The Tories had previously uprated local housing allowance rates in 2024 – the first rise for four years.

Downie added: “For those families and individuals in unsuitable temporary accommodation today, the promise of a social home in the years to come can only provide small comfort. 

“That’s why it’s crucial the government takes decisive action and restores housing benefit this autumn so that it covers the true cost of renting. Only then can we give people a fighting chance of moving out of homelessness while these much-needed social homes become a reality.” 

A total of 6,640 households were threatened with homelessness after being served a section 21 notice to end an assured shorthold tenancy. That was down 1.9% from the same quarter last year.

The ending of private rented tenancies accounted for 40% of cases where councils needed to step in to prevent homelessness, up from 30% pre-pandemic.

The Renters’ Rights Bill, which completed its journey through the House of Lords on Monday (21 July), has faced criticism for failing to tackle unaffordable rents, despite offering tenants more security.

Joseph Elliott, lead analyst at JRF, said: “The forthcoming housing, homelessness and child poverty strategies must work together to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis. This means addressing both the unaffordability and insecurity that drive homelessness.

“Positive steps have already been taken, including the Renters’ Rights Bill – which will protect renters from eviction – as well as additional funding for social housing.

“Ending the tragedy of children living in hotels and B&Bs will require more decisive action to make private renting affordable. Ending no-fault evictions is only part of the story – escalating rents and frozen housing benefits are locking families out of homes altogether.”

Homeless Link’s Henderson also added investment in under-funded homelessness services and supported housing services is needed to deal with the current crisis.

Homeless Link recently reported the number of accommodation services for single people experiencing homelessness has dropped by 47% since 2008.

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