• New analysis reveals how the homelessness crisis is escalating in every region across England – with the number of households trapped in temporary accommodation having almost doubled in just ten years, topping 105,750.
• With many councils facing financial collapse, Crisis is warning that there are now enough children experiencing homelessness to fill over 5,000 classrooms.
• With an election looming Crisis is calling on the major political leaders to commit to ending homelessness in England and is calling on the public to demand change.

Nearly twenty leading celebrities including Ellie Goulding, Will Poulter, Joe Lycett, Imelda Staunton and Aisling Bea, alongside people with lived experience, have signed an open letter demanding action from the major political leaders to tackle homelessness at the next election. This comes as figures reveal the number of households trapped in emergency accommodation across England has almost doubled in just ten years to over 105,750.

The letter, coordinated by national homelessness charity Crisis, calls on party leaders to fix England’s ‘broken’ housing system which, the charity argues, is ‘failing’ hundreds of thousands of people. It urges them to make ending homelessness a society-wide mission over the next decade.

The call to arms comes as new analysis of government figures show how the homelessness and housing crisis is creeping into every corner of the country, leaving tens of thousands of children homeless.

Research by the charity shows that in the ten years since April 2013 the use of temporary accommodation by English councils has ballooned in every region, with the highest growth being seen in the North West – where just 979 households were homeless in temporary accommodation ten years ago compared to 7,420 as of June 2023, a staggering, more than sevenfold, increase. This includes nearly 9,000 children who are growing up without the security of their own home.

The findings also show:

• Away from the North West, the West Midlands has seen the second biggest rise in children facing homelessness, jumping from 2,300 in April 2013 to 12,500 as of June last year – a more than fourfold increase. The use of B&Bs to accommodate people in the region has increased by nearly 600%, highlighting the immense pressure facing councils.
• In the South West, where pressures from holiday lets and affordability are fuelling the housing crisis, the numbers of people forced to spend years in temporary accommodation have more than doubled in the last ten years.
• London however remains at the epicentre of the crisis, with the analysis showing that more than 82,300 children are now homeless in the capital, while over 60,500 households are stuck in emergency accommodation unable to move on with their lives.

The escalating situation is symptomatic of successive governments’ failure to build adequate levels of social housing or to put in place appropriate support for people facing homelessness, Crisis warns. This is leaving low-income households with few options to find and keep a home as thousands face increasing financial pressures.

Estimates by the charity indicate that homelessness is not confined to the ongoing crisis with temporary accommodation. Crisis warns that almost a quarter of a million households are now experiencing the worst forms of homelessness including sleeping on the street, spending their nights sofa surfing with friends or family or hunkering down in cars or sheds.

With nowhere else to go, council budgets are being pushed into the red as they struggle to find suitable places to accommodate people, with many being forced to rely on expensive, and often unsuitable, emergency accommodation such as nightly paid B&Bs. The findings show that over the last ten years the use of B&Bs by local councils has more than tripled, with over 14,000 households now spending months or even years squeezed into one room, often without basic cooking or washing facilities.

Despite councils facing bankruptcy, homelessness rising to record levels, and an election looming, we’ve heard little from the party leaders about their plans to tackle the mounting housing and homelessness crisis.

Further analysis* by the charity shows that all three main UK parties control local councils experiencing the greatest homelessness pressures. Many of the local authority areas with the biggest increases and rising need cover constituencies that will be key ‘battleground’ areas going into the election, such as cash-strapped Birmingham.

The findings show:

• In the last ten years, hard-hit Birmingham has seen a net loss of more than 5,000 social and affordable homes, while the number of households trapped in emergency accommodation has more than quadrupled.
• Bedford council has seen the sharpest increase in temporary accommodation use over the last decade – jumping from 56 to over 680 households.
• Milton Keynes now has more than 1,000 children growing up homeless in temporary accommodation – a rise of over 500% since April 2013.

Crisis, alongside other celebrities including David Gandy, Jo Brand and Sopẹ́ Dìrísù are publishing the letter as part of the charity’s Make History campaign which is urging party leaders to make a political promise to the electorate that ending homelessness will be a key priority if they win the next election. This, the charity says, can only be achieved by building thousands more social homes and ensuring the right support services are in place so that people can leave the streets behind.

Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said: “As these figures show, homelessness is one of the most pressing issues facing our country, yet all the major parties have so far been silent on what they will do to tackle it should they form the next government.

“It’s a national disgrace that we’ve got children growing up in dingy B&Bs that make them ill, while others are being forced to wash their clothes in the bath or cook in a kettle because they don’t have access to basic things like a washing machine or even a kitchen. This has to change.

“As an election draws closer, we need to see firm plans from our leading politicians on how we’re going to bring homelessness down. These must include clear promises to build thousands more social homes and invest in support services so that no one is left fearing for their life on our streets.

“We know what the practical and proven solutions to ending homelessness are. All we need now is for the political parties to step up and join us in making it a thing of the past.”

Crisis is urging members of the public to join their call and sign their open letter here.

Notes to Editors

• National, regional and local authority level data on the numbers of households and children in temporary accommodation as well as bed and breakfasts can be accessed through the Tables on Homelessness: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness 
• Data on social and affordable housing completions by local authority can be found on Table 1006c (social) and 1006aC (affordable) of the Tables on Affordable Housing Supply: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply 
• The number of sales and demolitions of social and affordable housing by local authority can be found in the social housing sales open data table in the Live Tables on Housing Supply: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales 

Total number of households in temporary accommodation 2013-2023:

	Households in TA Apr-Jun 2013	Households in TA Apr-Jun 2023	Total % change
England	55,840	105,750	89%
Regional Breakdown
East	2,764	7,500	171%
East Midlands	704	2,990	325%
London	39,092	60,580	55%
North East	227	790	248%
North West	979	7,420	658%
South East	6,799	12,000	76%
South West	2,035	5,000	146%
West Midlands	1,599	6,890	331%
Yorkshire and The Humber	1,148	2,580	125%

 

 

Total number of children in temporary accommodation 2013-2023:

	Total Children Apr-Jun 2013	Total Children Apr-Jun 2023	Total Children % change
England	79,030	138,930	76%
Regional Breakdown
East	3,033	9,580	216%
East Midlands	763	3,580	369%
London	55,806	82,360	48%
North East	209	490	134%
North West	912	8,910	877%
South East	8,567	13,550	58%
South West	2,037	5,340	162%
West Midlands	2,331	12,590	440%
Yorkshire and The Humber	1,127	2,520	124%

 

 

Total number of households in B&B accommodation 2013-2023:

	B&B Apr-Jun 2013	B&B Apr-Jun 2023	B&B % change
England	3,920	14,090	259%
Regional Breakdown
East	227	990	336%
East Midlands	101	750	643%
London	1,879	4,620	146%
North East	37	140	278%
North West	77	1,990	2,484%
South East	705	1,760	150%
South West	315	1,590	405%
West Midlands	223	1,520	582%
Yorkshire and The Humber	155	720	365%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(N.B. 2013 data, Regions do not add up to England total figure due to data not being made available for certain local areas despite being included in total figures.)

*Data on local authority areas with the greatest need which include at least one 'battleground' constituency is available on request. 

For more information on the above analysis, please email media@crisis.org.uk.