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The UK is facing a severe housing crisis with more than 150,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation, according to official statistics released on Thursday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The figures showed that as of March, 151,630 children were living in hostels or B&Bs, highlighting the severity of the crisis.
Housing Minister Angela Rayner described the situation as a “national scandal” and called for urgent action to tackle record homelessness. The number of homeless children has increased by 15% since March 2023 and now exceeds the population of cities such as Ipswich, Blackpool and York.
Temporary accommodation is usually only for emergency purposes and for a maximum of six weeks, but many families with children are now living in these temporary accommodation for a long time, leading to serious instability and lack of permanence. Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, highlighted the hardships faced by families who do not have the means to settle down and are living out of suitcases.
Rayner’s ministry, recently reorganised from the Department of Housing and Communities, is developing a long-term strategy to end homelessness, including increasing social and affordable housing, abolishing the no-fault eviction system and investing millions in housing solutions. Meanwhile, amid recent anti-immigrant tensions and riots across the UK, the role of immigrants in the crisis has not been addressed.
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