MPs urged to back change in law as number of households in temporary accommodation rises again

Government figures out today show that there were 74,630 households in temporary accommodation on 30 September this year, an increase of 9% at the same point last year.

The total number of households in temporary accommodation has now risen by 55% since 2010.

Meanwhile 14,930 households were accepted as homeless between July and September this year – a rise of 2% across England. The ending of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy is still the leading cause of homelessness in England – accounting for 32% of acceptances while in London it accounts for 40%.

Responding, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said:

“The number of homeless people in temporary accommodation is rising at an alarming rate. More and more people are finding themselves in desperate circumstances, fearing for an uncertain future. Not only is this deeply distressing for those involved, it’s also incredibly expensive for the taxpayer, when for a fraction of this cost we could be preventing people from losing their home in the first place.

“Prevention is better than cure, and for homeless people this is especially so. It has already been shown to work in Wales, where it has dramatically reduced the need for people to be re-housed and helped to reduce the amount councils spend on temporary accommodation. We now need similar change in England. The Homelessness Reduction Bill currently making its way through parliament aims to do just that. It already has the backing of the Government and the opposition, and recently passed its second reading unopposed. Yet if it’s to become law, we need MPs and peers to continue to offer their support.”