Temporary housing for homeless families costs taxpayers more than £500m a year, according to new research from charity Shelter.
The cost is boosted by higher rents for temporary accommodation, additional take-up of benefits, increased use of out-of-school provision and extra visits to the doctor needed by families in temporary homes.

The report, Living in Limbo, was published today. It said more than half of the 400 families surveyed had been waiting for a permanent home for more than a year.

More than half said their health had suffered as a result of living in temporary homes.

Children missed an average of 55 school days because of the disruption of moves and three-quarters of households had no family member employed because of ill health, insecurity about housing, high rents or worries about benefit changes.

Shelter wants next month’s comprehensive spending review to allocate more money to affordable housing to take families out of temporary accommodation.

Chief executive Adam Sampson said: “For the tens of thousands of children who are shoved from pillar to post because of the shortage of affordable homes, the term ‘temporary accommodation’ is a terrible parody.

“There is nothing temporary about the damage done to their education and mental and physical health or the cost to the taxpayer who is left to pick up the bill.

“The government must give these children an equal chance in life by making serious investment in affordable housing a top priority in the spending review.”

Source

Housing Today