Converted office blocks with black mould foaming across the walls because the windows do not open. Four children sleeping in one bedroom, with no space to play. Converted shipping containers housing young mothers with their babies.
These are just a few of the things I have seen while travelling across Britain investigating temporary accommodation, the emergency housing that a person ends up in if they become homeless and cannot afford to rent privately.
Temporary accommodation is expensive – in England alone, it is expected to cost £4bn by 2029. The finances of many councils are collapsing under the weight of these costs. The accommodation itself is all too often substandard because unlike social housing, conditions in temporary accommodation are less regulated. Often, it includes hostels, B&Bs, hotels and those converted office blocks and shipping containers.
The story of one family in particular, a single mother with three children, has stayed with me. I first met them in 2018, shortly after they had become homeless due to a breakdown in family relations and placed in temporary accommodation. It was a converted office block in Essex, in the middle of an industrial estate with no green space in sight. More than eight years later, that family is still living there. This flat is not only crowded – with one bedroom between four children and their mother on a sofabed – but it also wasn’t located near any amenities that a mother with young children needs.
Then, there’s the mother of three who was placed in temporary accommodation in Birmingham after sleeping in her car for a week because she had fled domestic violence. She and her children slept on a large bunk bed in one room, with no idea how long they would be there for.
When they were vying for votes in the run-up to the 2024 general election, Labour promised change. Two years in Government, the situation with temporary accommodation has changed. But for the worse.
Shocking statistics released this week by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for temporary accommodation, based on data from the National Child Mortality Database, reveal that 104 children in England have died while living in temporary accommodation in the past six years. Seventy-six of those children were under the age of one. And, in each case, temporary accommodation has been listed as a contributing factor to the child’s death.
This is because temporary accommodation is too often unsuitable – it can be crowded, in an unsafe location or not child-proof.
I first reported the statistics on children dying in temporary accommodation in 2022, when they were published for the first time. I never thought I’d be here, years later, writing that more children were dying. Naively, I thought that data confirming the link between child deaths and homelessness would be enough for politicians to act. I was wrong.
The number of families with children who have become homeless and are living in temporary accommodation has risen. It is now estimated by the Government that 135,000 households are living in such conditions in England, including nearly 176,000 children.
This is happening because private renting is increasingly expensive, and because housing benefit doesn’t actually cover rent in many parts of the country. Low-income or vulnerable households are falling behind on their rent and being evicted as a result. It’s happening because we don’t have enough social housing – more than 1.3 million households are languishing on waiting lists across England.
It doesn’t have to be like this. The babies I met in 2018 are now approaching their 10th birthday. Temporary accommodation, in the middle of an industrial estate, is all they will know. This crisis is shaping lives and, in the very worst cases, ending them prematurely.
Last year, Labour announced its long-awaited homelessness strategy. I, like so many housing journalists and experts, had expected a big commitment to reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation. Sadly, that’s not what was announced. Instead, there was just wishy-washy talk of improving standards in temporary accommodation and putting pressure on councils to move people out as quickly as possible.
Homelessness experts and giants of the charity sector messaged me their frustration and concern. This isn’t about politics, it’s about people’s lives. Children are unsafe. Children are dying. There is no excuse for it.
Hence then, the article about black mould and four in a bed i ve seen how homeless children live and it s shameful was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Black mould and four in a bed: I’ve seen how homeless children live and it’s shameful )
Also on site :