Child Homelessness Hits Eighth Record High

New government statutory homelessness figures reveal that child homelessness has hit a record high for the eighth consecutive quarter, with 165,510 children now living in temporary accommodation—a 14% rise in just one year. In response, Shelter is urgently calling for significant investment in the upcoming Spending Review to end the housing emergency. The charity warns that without action, nearly one in three homeless households will continue to be placed out of area, uprooting families from their communities and driving up council costs.

The new data for October to December 2024 provides a grim snapshot of the deepening housing emergency in England with: 

• 43,110 stuck in very expensive nightly-paid accommodation, which can include self-contained rooms, that are even more cramped than B&Bs – a rise of 47% in a year. 

• 41,070 households uprooted from their communities and now housed in out of area temporary accommodation - a 23% rise in a year. Nearly half (46%) of London households are accommodated out of area. 
• 23,230 households stuck in B&Bs and hostels – some of the most damaging forms of temporary accommodation for children – a rise of 5% in a year. 

Shelter is warning that without urgent government investment, homelessness and its staggering costs to councils will continue to skyrocket. Using historical trends and government data, new analysis by Shelter estimates that 206,000 children will be homeless by 2029 and the number of households in temporary accommodation could surge by 44%. Without critical investment in social housing, the charity says that the cost of temporary accommodation is on track to spiral by 71% to £3.9 billion by 2029. 

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, said:

"The housing emergency has reached critical levels and 165,510 children are paying the price. Without serious investment in social homes, our research shows homelessness will continue to skyrocket up and down the country and temporary accommodation costs risk bankrupting councils. 

In the absence of enough social homes, people are being funnelled into and trapped in temporary accommodation for years on end while billions are spent on sticking plaster solutions. Families are stuffed into unsuitable spaces, living on top of each other and out of suitcases, never knowing if and when they’ll be forced to uproot their lives. 

With the June Spending Review a few short weeks away, now is the time to turn the tide on the housing emergency. Government can and must commit ambitious investment to the only solution that works - 90,000 social rent homes a year for ten years would end homelessness for good".

Anyone who is facing homelessness can get free and expert advice from Shelter by visiting www.shelter.org.uk/get_help.