(Commonwealth) _ Councils across England have spent a record-breaking £1 billion on temporary accommodation for homeless families over the past year, marking an over 50% increase from the previous year. This surge in spending is largely attributed to the unprecedented number of families, including more than 150,000 children, living in short-term housing.
The stark increase in expenditure highlights a growing crisis, with councils allocating £417 million specifically for housing families in hostels and bed and breakfasts staggering 63% rise compared to the previous year. The Labor government has acknowledged the severity of the issue, attributing it to a housing crisis they claim to have inherited. A government spokesperson from the housing ministry emphasized their commitment to addressing the problem by aiming to build 1.5 million homes and prevent homelessness by implementing measures like banning no-fault evictions.
Experts point to a trifecta of issues exacerbating homelessness: soaring private rents, a dearth of new housebuilding, and an increase in eviction rates. These factors have turned homelessness into a chronic problem, particularly in urban areas. Romel Peters, 37, exemplifies the human toll of this crisis. For over a year, she has lived in temporary accommodation in London with her two young sons after being evicted from her privately rented home through a no-fault eviction. The conditions she describes are dire. The family is cramped into a single room, sharing “filthy” cooking and washing facilities with other tenants. Cockroaches are a frequent sight in the kitchen, and she avoids cooking there, relying instead on food from her family or cooking at her mother’s house.
Her situation is further complicated by the impact on her children, who have little space to play or do their homework. Most of their toys remain in storage, adding to the strain of their living conditions. Despite being on the local council’s housing list for nearly a decade, Romel was informed that she was no longer eligible for assistance after her eviction, simply because she had been renting privately. Efforts to find alternative housing have been futile. Romel has struggled to get in touch with the council for 18 months, with no case worker responding to her inquiries. Her attempts to join housing associations were also unsuccessful due to the need for a council referral, which never materialized. The council eventually offered her temporary accommodation three hours away in West Bromwich, but Romel refused, not wanting to uproot her family from their community and the children’s school. As a result, the council has withdrawn its duty to assist her, leaving the family on the brink of homelessness once again as she cannot afford the rising costs of private rent.
The broader picture is equally grim. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported average rent increases across the UK, ranging from 8.6% in England to 8.2% in Scotland and 7.9% in Wales. In Northern Ireland, rents saw a 10% increase in the year leading up to May 2024, according to the most recent data available. High inflation, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has kept rent prices high, further straining vulnerable families.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, criticized the current approach, stating, “It’s absurd that we keep throwing good money after bad into grim homeless accommodation instead of investing in solutions that would help families into a safe and secure home.” Neate highlighted the long-standing failure to build sufficient social housing, combined with escalating rents and increasing evictions, as the root causes of the current crisis. She called for the government to invest in genuinely affordable social homes and to empower councils to start building them, rather than continuing to sink billions into temporary solutions each year.
