The New Economics Foundation (NEF) warns of the growing harm caused by temporary accommodation, with one London borough having a classroom’s worth of homeless children for every primary school, according to its new report Nowhere to Grow: The Hidden Harm of Temporary Accommodation on Children.

Family homelessness in London has surged by over 50% since 2010, with councils now spending £110 million per month on temporary accommodation. Southwark is among the worst affected, with over 4,300 households in temporary housing, most of them families. Nationally, at least 74 children died in temporary accommodation last year.

Approximately 160,000 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation, often for extended periods, with more than half missing school due to instability and poor living conditions.

Report author Holly Wright says families are “trapped in inadequate conditions” due to “delayed suitability reviews and inaccessible judicial processes”, compounded by housing shortages, underfunding, and poor coordination between services.

The report calls for urgent reforms, including piloting dedicated family support coordinator roles within local authorities to provide consistent and holistic support to families in temporary accommodation.