600% increase in children stuck in hotels longer than legal limit, new research finds
600% INCREASE IN CHILDREN STUCK IN HOTELS BEYOND LEGAL LIMIT, NEW ANALYSIS REVEALS AHEAD OF PARLIAMENT SQUARE HOUSING ACTION
The number of children that have been in hotels for longer than the six-week legal limit has increased by 663% in three years, from 490 children to 3,250, according to independent research commissioned by Citizens UK, from local government expert Jack Shaw.
Leaders from across Citizens UK gathered today in Parliament Square to call on the Government to ensure that all children in temporary accommodation are placed in housing that is safe, in good condition, and close to their community and support networks.
They also called for the government to take action to uphold the legal time limits on temporary accommodation, as well as provide basic necessities and end poor quality housing where there’s damp, mould and disrepair.
"I lived with my four kids and husband in hotel temporary accommodation for six months. It was one of the hardest things my family and I have had to go through. The basics of living a normal family life, such as the comfort of cooking a homemade meal, was just something we couldn’t do because there were no facilities. We had to live on takeouts, which was also very expensive. My children, the oldest being 12, had no space to do their homework or play. I worry about the effects this time has had on their mental health."
– Sehrish
The research also shows that there are currently 5,550 children in hotels, meaning the overall percentage of children in hotels longer than the 6 week legal limit has increased from 4 in 10 children to 6 in 10 children over the last three years, and in London increased from less than 2 in 10 children, to more than 7 in 10 children. (These figures have increased in every quarter since the end of 2021).
More than 150,000 children are living in temporary accommodation in England, according to the latest official figures. While the number of households in temporary accommodation with children has increased by 24% over the last three years, outside of London it has increased by 68%. In other words, we are seeing a much higher proportion of families with children (and larger families) presenting as homeless outside London, than we are in London.
It is a national scandal that while we wait for a solution to the longer-term national housing crisis, thousands of children are living in a room for months on end without their basic needs being met. Building good-quality, affordable housing is the long-term answer to temporary accommodation and we welcome the Government’s recent announcement to unlock brownfield sites across the country but these children cannot wait.
Emmanuel Gotora, Assistant Director at Citizens UK
We all deserve to live in dignity, yet millions of people across the UK do not have access to safe, secure or affordable housing. But it doesn't have to be this way. We're bringing everyday people together with powerholders to tackle poor housing and increase affordable housing in communities up and down the UK.