Sheltering the young ones
About 120,710 children in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, which equates to 1 in every 100 children in the country, new research from Shelter shows.
The charity expects the figure to grow as the cost of living crisis continues to deepen the housing emergency.
To expose the devastating impact of homelessness on children’s health, education and well-being, the charity recorded the experiences of more than 800 families with 1,600 children living in temporary accommodation throughout England.
The survey of homeless families, which is the largest ever conducted and funded by Trust for London and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, reveals the terrible toll of life without a home:
- Sharing beds: more than a third of homeless parents say their child(ren) do not have a bed of their own and are forced to share a bed with another family member.
- Education: almost half of school age children have arrived at school tired, late or hungry as a result of living in temporary accommodation. B&Bs and hostels are often not equipped with suitable or any facilities for parents to cook meals for their children, and noise from other residents and bed-sharing means children often struggle to sleep.
- Play: six in 10 children lack space to play in their temporary accommodation.
- Mental health: one in 4 parents report their child or children being often unhappy or depressed as a result of living in temporary accommodation.
- Social isolation: more than one in 4 parents say their children are finding it hard to make or keep friends as a result of living in temporary accommodation. This can be the result of feeling embarrassed or ashamed of where they live, or because they are unable to have friends to play due to a lack of space or rules that forbid visitors.
Temporary accommodation is provided by councils to eligible families who become homeless. It is supposed to be a temporary measure until the council can find a settled home.
It can take the form of emergency hostels, B&Bs, one room bedsits and cramped flats. It is not designed for permanent living and families can be asked to move numerous times with short notice.
Unless the Government reverses the freeze on housing benefit, Shelter expects thousands more families will become homeless this winter as the cost of living crisis worsens and rents rocket.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter said: “A grotty hostel or B&B is not a home, but this is where thousands of homeless children are forced to live. And many more children will be thrown into homelessness as their parents can no longer afford to keep a roof over their head.
“The housing emergency is robbing children of a secure childhood. Thousands of homeless children are turning up to school too tired to learn – hardly surprising when one in three have to share a bed. Something has gone very wrong when children cannot play because their temporary accommodation is too cramped even for toys, and no friends are allowed to visit.
“Shelter is doing everything it can to help the families who are trying to put on a brave face while experiencing the trauma of homelessness. But as the cost of living crisis deepens and more families need our services, we need the public’s support more than ever.”
Shelter by email
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