Thousands of families in the UK are being failed by a crumbling system of temporary accommodation (TA), according to a damning new report by Citizens UK and Trust for London.
The report, A Long Way From Home, warns of a growing national emergency, with 164,000 children in England now living in temporary accommodation – more than half of them in London.
The report reveals that TA is no longer a short-term safety net but a long-term reality for many.
In Croydon, one family has spent over 9,500 days – more than 26 years – cycling through temporary housing. At the other end of the age spectrum, a 97-year-old in Brent has been living in temporary accommodation for three years.
DIRE CONDITIONS
Living conditions are often dire. Families face limited access to basic amenities, including laundry, cooking, and storage. In some boroughs, such as Newham and Barking & Dagenham, residents are charged to use washing machines, pushing annual laundry costs to as much as £900.
The cost burden has led some families to limit children’s play and restrict certain foods due to the expense of cleaning clothes, according to Professor Monica Lakhanpaul of University College London.
Access to storage adds to the strain. Islington charges £130 to place belongings in storage and £40 per visit thereafter, while Enfield imposes a £30 charge each time residents access their stored items. Some families report travelling miles just to retrieve essentials.
INEQUALITY CONCERNS
Placement practices raise further concerns about inequality. Affluent boroughs, including Bromley, Richmond, and Merton, place over 75% of their TA households outside their borders – often into more deprived areas. In contrast, poorer boroughs such as Brent and Barking & Dagenham keep most households within their communities.
Citizens UK is urging the government to introduce minimum national standards for temporary housing – ensuring access to cooking, information, WiFi, laundry and storage – as well as improved data transparency and coordination with the NHS and schools. A proposed national protocol would also regulate out-of-borough placements.
LIFELINE, NOT A TRAP
Emmanuel Gotora, Assistant Director at Citizens UK, says: “Temporary accommodation should be a lifeline, not a trap.
“We are seeing families spend years – and sometimes decades – without access to the most basic standards.
“The government must act to restore dignity and ensure that temporary accommodation truly serves its intended purpose: a bridge to stable housing, not a substitute for it.”
