Children are spending their whole childhoods living in temporary accommodation, with one family in homelessness housing since 1998, a report has said.
In a new report into the dire state of England’s temporary accommodation, Citizens UK found that councils are charging homeless people hundreds of pounds in fees to access basic services, such as storage and washing facilities.
Affluent London boroughs are also moving homeless families into more deprived areas outside their boroughs, the report said.
The number of families in temporary accommodation across England is at record levels, with some 165,510 children living in this precarious housing as of the end of 2024.
Nearly 130,000 households now live in temporary accommodation, which includes hostels and B&Bs.
Citizens UK and Trust for London researchers looked in detail at the temporary accommodation provided in London, Birmingham and Manchester. London is the epicentre of homelessness in England, with over 70,000 households in temporary accommodation.
The report found that one family with children in Croydon has been living in temporary accommodation since 1998.
In Westminster, another family had been in temporary accommodation since 2001, and in Brent, a household had been housed since 2003, the report said.
As well as families, there has been a rise in retired people being moved into temporary accommodation. According to freedom of information data, obtained by Citizens UK, a 97-year-old from Brent had been in temporary housing for three years.
A 95-year-old was in homeless housing in Kingston upon Thames, and a 91-year-old was being housed in Enfield.
They also highlighted the practice of more affluent London boroughs, such as Richmond upon Thames, moving homeless families out of their area.
London councils place around 43 per cent of households outside their boundaries, but in Richmond this was much higher at 75 per cent, the report found.
On the other hand, Brent and Barking & Dagenham, who have a higher proportion of low-income residents, only placed 6 per cent of their temporary accommodation households outside of their area.
Families are also sinking into debt because of high charges to put their belongings in storage, the research said.
In Barnet, one household in temporary accommodation had accrued £8,647 in debt due to storage costs, and in Bexley, another household had accrued £7,758, they found.
In Wandsworth, storage costs can add up to £240 per month, the report said. The council also told researchers that putting homeless people on a repayment plan for their debt was “effective for clients on a low income or in receipt of benefits”.
Homeless people are also being charged to use washing machines in their accommodation. In Manchester, some accommodation charges £1 for use of the washing machines, and in Newham the highest rate was £2.40 per wash and £1.90 per dry. The report calculated that, if the average household does a clothes wash 208 times a year, families in Newham could spend up to £900 annually to wash and dry their clothes.
Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP, responding to the findings, said: “The lack of social housing has culminated in a situation where one in every 49 households in London is homeless and living in temporary accommodation.
“To live in accommodation without the ability to cook meals, access the internet, store your belongings safely or even have basic access to a toilet and washing facilities is quite simply abhorrent.”
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “Like many councils across the country, Croydon is facing an acute shortage of affordable housing. This has sadly meant that households have remained in temporary accommodation for longer than we would want.
“We are unable to comment on individual cases, but stays of this length are extremely rare and there are many different types of temporary accommodation which include larger council homes and private sector properties.”
Wandsworth cabinet member for housing, Aydin Dikerdem, said the council agreed affordable repayment plans with residents for storage. These are “typically between £5 and 70 a month, which is below the average £145,79 a month the storage companies ask for”, he said.
Mr Dikerdem added: “The upfront costs are paid by the council directly, in compliance with our duty to protect homeless families’ possessions and a repayment plan is then agreed. We can also confirm that no one is paying the full charge.
“The highest debt amount for storage costs referenced in the report relates to missed payments over a number of years for one case”.
A Richmond council spokesperson said they were working hard to ensure temporary accommodation was “safe, suitable and as close to home as possible”. They added: “Currently 64 per cent of the people experiencing homelessness we support are placed either within the borough or in neighbouring areas”.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We are providing £1bn for crucial homelessness services this year so councils can support families faster, including an extra £78m for London than the previous government. Alongside this we are also tackling the root causes by building 1.5 million new homes and boosting social and affordable housing.”
