Many of the problems facing the record number of households living in temporary accommodation today are not new but part of a pattern stretching back almost 200 years, according to a major new report.
Research published by homelessness charity Justlife and written by Dr Jessica Field (main picture, inset) of The University of Manchester argues that poor conditions, lengthy stays, family disruption and placements far from schools, work and support networks have repeatedly characterised England’s temporary accommodation system since the Victorian era.
The report comes as more than 134,000 households, including over 176,000 children, are living in temporary accommodation in England.
Drawing on parliamentary records, historical archives, case law and policy research, the study suggests many of the issues currently dominating housing debates are recurring problems rather than the result of recent policy failures.
DIFFICULT ACCOUNTABILITY
Among its findings, the report concludes that temporary accommodation has frequently operated outside the standards expected of other forms of housing, while fragmented responsibilities between government departments, councils and providers have often made accountability difficult.
The report calls for stronger national oversight, improved monitoring of outcomes and the introduction of enforceable standards for temporary accommodation.
Dr Jessica Field says: “Many of the problems experienced by people living in temporary accommodation today have appeared again and again for nearly two centuries.
“What emerges from this research is a story of recurring patterns rather than isolated failures – poor conditions, long stays, family disruption and displacement from communities have persisted across very different political and policy contexts.
“Understanding how these problems developed helps us see why piecemeal reforms have often struggled to deliver lasting change.
“If temporary accommodation is to become the short-term, safe and healthy support it is intended to be, we need to address the deeper structures that have repeatedly produced poor outcomes.”
POOR CONDITIONS
The report highlights examples where temporary housing has been delivered successfully, including the Government’s post-war Temporary Housing Programme, which provided more than 150,000 prefabricated homes after the Second World War.
Simon Gale, Chief Executive of Justlife, says: “Temporary accommodation may seem like a current crisis, but it has been part of our lives for nearly 200 years – yet the experience for many people living in temporary accommodation today remains painfully similar to what it was in the nineteenth century.
“Poor conditions, long stays, people being moved away from their communities, and families left in uncertainty are not new problems.
“Lifelines shows they are part of a much longer pattern. That matters because we cannot keep responding to temporary accommodation as if each problem is new, isolated or unavoidable.
“If we are serious about ending the harm caused by temporary accommodation, we need a clear national framework, proper standards, stronger accountability and a housing policy that stops temporary solutions becoming long-term realities.”
Read the report HERE.
