Children in temporary accommodation are living in cramped conditions and alongside former prisoners, in hostels up to 55 miles away from school, according to a leading housing charity.
One 16-year-old from Manchester, who is sharing a single room in an emergency B&B with her mother and two sisters, described having to study sitting on the toilet, her textbook propped on her knees, to revise for GCSEs. “It’s so cold in there my legs go numb after 10 minutes,” she said.
A mother of three from London, who found herself homeless after a relationship breakdown, was put in emergency accommodation over an hour’s drive away from her children’s school, along a busy motorway. “My children were exhausted by the journey,” she said.
Almost 121,000 children in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, according to the charity Shelter, which has documented the experiences of more than 800 affected families.
Almost half (46%) said living in temporary accommodation had a negative impact on their children’s education, while 26% said their children were struggling to keep up with school work. Half (52%) of families with school-age children said there was no space to do homework, and 35% had no internet access.
Lily (not her real name), a health worker from the east of England, was moved into a hostel by her local council with her 10-year-old daughter and two older children after being handed a no-fault eviction from her landlord. “I can only describe it as Dickensian,” she said.
“It was absolutely grim, with two bunkbeds and no table to eat a hot meal together or chairs, desk or internet for my daughter to do her homework. To make matters worse, the hostel was 55 miles away from our school and work, meaning every day we had no choice but to make the incredibly long journey.”
According to Shelter’s research, 35% of homeless parents said their children did not have a bed of their own but had to share with another family member. Almost half (45%) of school-age children have arrived at school tired, late or hungry; 61% of children lack space to play and more than 28% of parents said their children were finding it hard to make or keep friends, either because they feel ashamed of where they live or cannot have friends back due to lack of space.
Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said: “A grotty hostel or B&B is not a home, but this is where thousands of homeless children are forced to live. Thousands of homeless children are turning up to school too tired to learn – hardly surprising when one in three have to share a bed.”
David Renard, a councillor who is housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, warned of a looming national homelessness crisis, with growing numbers of no-fault evictions, a cost of living crisis and more Ukrainian arrivals presenting as homeless. “Living in temporary accommodation can cause great disruption for children and families and is especially difficult for many families at Christmas time.”
A government spokesperson said councils had been given £366m this year to provide suitable accommodation, with £1,200 cost of living payments for the 8 million most vulnerable families. “No child should be without a roof over their heads,” they said. “Temporary accommodation is always a last resort, but a crucial safety net to ensure families have somewhere safe to stay.”
