Housing crisis is claiming children’s lives according to shock findings

Fifty-five children without a permanent home have died in temporary accommodation in the last four years, new data shows, prompting calls for urgent government action.

An analysis of the National Child Mortality Database shows an additional 21 deaths in temporary accommodation since April 2019, up from the 34 deaths in homeless shelters previously stated in a report from the Households in Temporary Accommodation APPG.

New government guidance states accommodation for families must have "adequate space for a cot" for each child under two. Previous rules neglected to include children under one when assessing the size of accommodation.

Overcrowding is common for families in temporary housing. Sleeping with babies is a risk factor in sudden infant death syndrome, and the risk increases if co-sleepers smoke or are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The charity Justlife Foundation, which campaigns against temporary housing, is calling for a government homeless families taskforce on child mortality. 

Their chief executive Simon Gale said: “The loss of 55 lives, equivalent to two classrooms of children, serves as a stark indictment of our housing crisis.

“Despite the gravity of the situation, we have yet to treat it as the emergency it is. This should serve as a wake-up call, and we are urging the government to establish a taskforce to comprehensively address this systemic failure.”

Homelessness has reached record levels in England. Between July and September last year, 109,000 households – and 142,490 children - were in temporary accommodation, an increase of ten per cent on the previous year. 

The number of homeless households with children placed in a bed and breakfast increased 65.4 per cent to 4,680 by last September. At least half were there for more than the six-week maximum.

In London, spending on temporary housing for homeless households reached £90 million per month in 2022-23.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman recently found one family in the London borough of Waltham Forest was left sofa surfing for more than a year because the local council "forgot about them".

The family became homeless in August 2022 and the ombudsman found the council did not do enough to help them find interim and temporary accommodation.

Across 50 local authorities surveyed under a Freedom of Information request in England, more than 14,000 families have been in temporary homes for more than five years.Some families have been languishing for up to 20 years. 

Jack Shaw, a local government expert who uncovered the figures, said: "It is clear the housing system isn't serving thousands of families who are stuck in temporary accommodation for far too long.”

Citizens UK, a nationwide community network campaigning for a maximum stay in temporary accommodation to be written into law, claims thousands of childhoods are being “stolen through poor quality temporary accommodation that isn’t temporary at all”.

Matthew Bolton, executive director, said: “Ending child homelessness (should be) 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.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said the revelations about child deaths were “completely shocking”.

“Our guidance to councils is clear that all temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable for families with babies and have enough space for a cot,” a spokesperson said.

But the government has also stated that temporary accommodation is a “vital safety net” providing “a suitable home while families wait for settled accommodation - councils have a responsibility to help families find this as quickly as possible.”

Funding through the homelessness prevention grant and affordable homes programme is intended to “deliver thousands more affordable homes.”