March 11th 2024
Thousands of children have spent their entire life in temporary accommodation
Crippling new research has outlined tons of families have been unsuccessful in finding permanent accommodation for more than 10 years.
New research, which was first reported by The Observer and released under the Freedom of Information Act over the weekend, has discovered that thousands of families have been housed in ‘temporary’ accommodation for more than a decade. Arguably, such a discovery gives a new meaning to childhood – it’s more like ‘child without a hood’.
According to the findings, around 50 local authorities across the country are thought to have high numbers in temporary accommodation and almost 14,000 households have been in it more than five years.
In one heartbreaking case, a homeless household in London were placed in temporary accommodation in 2000 and are still there today.
Other devasting, yet similar examples include one family being left in temporary accommodation in Manchester for nine years and a family in Kent being there since 2009. Some families in Birmingham have also been in the housing since at least 2011 – no data was available for the city before that.
As a result of these harrowing discoveries, the research has led to warnings describing temporary accommodation as futile.
The research has come just after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the government’s Spring Budget, which was accused of favouring pre-election tax cuts rather than relieving the pressures that have led to record levels of homelessness, and failing to help councils provide secure homes for the most vulnerable.
Following this, individuals are now demanding for a change in law to secure the fact that there is a maximum length of time families can spend in temporary housing before being moved to a more permanent space.
Jack Shaw, an expert in local government, who is responsible for uncovering the figures, said: ‘The government must do more to protect families in insecure housing, including investing more in building homes and in homelessness services run by local authorities.’
Recently, record-breaking homelessness figures were published which showcase that between July and September last year, 109,000 homeless households were in temporary accommodation, up 10% in a single year. This statistic included 142,490 children.
Social workers have discovered that children who are being brough up in such conditions are being talk how to walk on a bed. Young individuals experiencing key development stages should be equipped with the freedom to step head-first into the world, but instead are missing out due to a severe lack of space. Children were also found to be robbed of other key development stages, including leanring to crawl.
Taking to X (formally known as Twitter), homelessness charity Shelter have said: ‘The housing emergency is spiralling out of control.
‘Investing in social homes is the only way to ensure children are not left growing up in temporary accommodation.’
The #HousingEmergency is spiralling out of control.
Investing in social homes is the only way to ensure children are not left growing up in temporary accommodation.#BuildSocialHomes https://t.co/Z2ujClZxr5
— Shelter (@Shelter) March 9, 2024
In addition, Matthew Bolton, executive director of Citizens UK, has stated that without government interference, councils will be unable to supply enough homes to rid families of temporary homes.
‘We’re campaigning on this at the local level, persuading councils to improve standards and make urgent repairs, but we need government action,’ Matthew said. ‘Citizens UK are calling on all parties to make ending child homelessness a top priority leading into the next general election. This starts with a commitment to introduce and enforce improved standards in temporary accommodation and to set a statutory limit on the length of time people can be stuck there.’
Image: Volodymyr Hryshchenko
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