Booming use of temporary accommodation to house homeless families has led to ‘crisis situation’ for England’s councils
Councils ‘haemorrhaging funds’ as costs of housing homeless surge
Record levels of homelessness are placing unsustainable pressure on councils’ crumbling finances, an influential committee of MPs has warned as the annual cost of emergency accommodation rose by almost a third.
The booming use of temporary accommodation for homeless families by local authorities has led to a “crisis situation” that must be urgently dealt with across government, a report from the Public Accounts Committee has found.
Some 123,000 households in England are being housed in temporary accommodation, which can include hotels and B&Bs, the latest data from June 2024 showed. The cost to councils of providing this emergency accommodation has risen to £2.1bn for the financial year 2023/24, up from £1.6bn the year before, MPs found.
Councils ‘haemorrhaging funds’ as costs of housing homeless surge