Over 100,000 households stuck in temporary accommodation for the first time since 2005 - Crisis responds

Today (10 May), new Government data has revealed that over 100,000 households in England were stuck in temporary accommodation on 31^st December 2022 – the highest number reported since 2005.  

Of the households stuck in temporary accommodation, 12,220 were housed in B&Bs – an increase of 31% compared with the same time last year. This includes a disproportionate number of families, with the number of households with dependent children housed in such accommodation more than doubling, with a rise of 129% in a year.  

With the use of temporary accommodation having doubled in the past decade, Crisis is warning that thousands more could be facing the prospect of being housed in temporary accommodation due to the shortage of genuinely affordable housing across England. 

The charity is calling for the Government to make good on its promise to deliver proper protections for renters through the Renters Reform Bill, as well as put a clear plan in place to deliver the affordable homes that are desperately needed to prevent more people from being forced into homelessness. 

Responding to the figures, Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said: "The homelessness system is on its knees. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the number of households living in temporary accommodation in England has exceeded 100,000. Shockingly, the number of children growing up in B&Bs without a secure home has more than doubled in just 12 months. Families up and down the country are unable to move on with their lives and have no security because they can’t afford to rent privately and there are far too few social homes to go around.  

“Years of inaction and failure has brought us to this point. We’re supporting people trapped in temporary accommodation who are living in one room with their children, often without facilities to cook their own meals or do their washing - causing real damage to their physical and mental health.  

“The need for Government to urgently increase the number of good quality, affordable homes could not be more desperate. This must be delivered alongside comprehensive changes to the private rental sector, otherwise we will continue to see thousands forced out of their homes and trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation.”