Council Spending On B&Bs For Homeless Increased By 430% Over Last Decade

Local authorities are spending over five times more on housing homeless people in B&Bs than they were a decade ago, research by the Local Government Association (LGA) has found. Official figures show that councils in England spent £142m placing homeless households in B&Bs in 2019/20, up 430% from £26.7m in 2010/11. There are currently 10,510 households living in B&Bs, according to provisional data, compared to 2,310 a decade ago, marking a 355% increase. The LGA said these figures underline “the desperate need to build more social housing”. Read more on Inside Housing.

Inside Housing - News - Council spending on B&Bs for homeless increased by 430% over last decade, research shows 

Number Of Children Housed In B&Bs Rises 18 Per Cent

The number of households with children living in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation in England rose by 18 per cent in the last year, according to official statistics. Figures released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reveal that there were 2,420 households with children in B&Bs at 31 December 2018 - 34.7 percent of all households living in such accommodation - up from 2,050 at the same time in 2017. Of those, 810 households had been living in a B&B for more than the statutory limit of six weeks, although this was an eight per cent decrease on the previous year. Read more on the CYPN website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2006766/number-of-children-housed-in-b-bs-rises-18-per-cent

Work Starts On Prefab Homeless Housing

Work is to begin on a temporary housing scheme for homeless families in Reading. The 28 prefabricated homes will provide emergency housing for people who would otherwise be forced to stay in bed and breakfast accommodation. Reading Borough Council said it had about 120 families staying in guest houses at the end of 2016. The development, on the site of a former mobile home park, will consist of seven timber-clad blocks of four units, two storeys high, a children's play area, car parking and bike sheds. Each unit will have two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen-diner and a living room. Read more on the BBC.

More Than 100,000 Children In England Will Be Homeless At Christmas

Over 100,000 children in England will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation according to the latest Government figures on homelessness. The statistics show that on 30 September 2016 there were 74,630 households in temporary accommodation, up 9% on a year earlier, and up 55% on the low of 48,010 on 31 December 2010. Almost 80% (59,210) of those included dependent children and/or a pregnant woman with an average of two children in each household.  The figures for the third quarter of the year also revealed that 6,680 households were in bed and breakfast style accommodation and 51% of those included dependent children or expected children of which 1,300 had been resident for more than six weeks. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

Over 120,000 Children Will Wake Up Homeless This Christmas

Over 120,000 children in Britain face spending Christmas homeless and in temporary accommodation, the highest level recorded since 2007. The number of families living in emergency B&B and hostel rooms has risen by a worrying 18% in just a year. Shelter carried out in-depth interviews with 25 families currently or recently living in emergency B&B’s, hostels or sofa-surfing. Findings included:

·         Over 75% of families said they felt their accommodation was unsafe

·         Every family lived in a single room without any space for the children to play

·         60% had to share toilet and bathroom facilities

·         More than 67% said their room was in a state of disrepair, including mould, broken beds and stained mattresses

Read more on the Shelter blog.

Hotel Bills For Homeless People Run Into Billions

Councils have spent billions of pounds putting homeless people up in bed and breakfasts, hotels and private rented homes. In London, where the problem is worst, councils spent more than £1.25 billion over five years. Spending on temporary accommodation has risen by 143 per cent since 2011-12 and spending on B&Bs nearly trebled. Data provided by London councils shows that the average length of stay rose by more than a third to 268 days, despite the rules stipulating a six-week limit. Read more on The Times website.

Not Even Low Unemployment Can Ward Off The Scourge Of Homelessness

Official figures show homelessness is rising. Against a backdrop of low unemployment yet slowing wage growth, there has been a 10% rise in the number of homeless households in England. That’s according to the latest figures from the CLG which revealed that local authorities accepted 15,170 households as being homeless during the quarter April-June 2016, compared to 13,840 during the same period last year. There has also been a sharp rise in families with children, or expecting children, unlawfully living in B&B accommodation for longer than six weeks. The level is now a worrying 29% higher than a year ago. Read more on the Huffington Post website.

Third Of Homeless Young Offenders 'In Unsafe Accommodation'

One in three homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who are in contact with youth offending teams (YOTs) are being placed in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation. A report by the Probation Inspectorate flagged up particular concerns about children sharing hostels or bed and breakfast accommodation with adult strangers. Inspectors found that while a minority of young people received excellent support, too many had been given a roof over their heads with little other than a few hours a week support from visiting professionals. The report reveals that the issue was not down to a lack of funding, rather a result of poor or incomplete assessments, a lack of joined-up working or recognition of children's wider needs. There was also a tendency to place children as though they were adults. Read more on the CYPN website.

New Figures Show 'Soaring' Homelessness

The number of households accepted as homeless is 33% higher than five years ago, and the number of families in emergency hostels and B&Bs has doubled. Loss of a private tenancy remains the biggest cause of homelessness. Overall, the latest government issued statistics show:

·         In 2015 41,020 families were accepted as homeless by their local council - an 8% rise in a year and 42% higher than five years ago.

·         The overall number of households accepted as homeless by their local council was 56,500 in 2015, 33% higher than five years ago.

·         The number of homeless families living in emergency B&B’s and hostels has risen by 14% in a year and 103% in five years.

·         The loss of a private tenancy remains the single biggest cause of homelessness

Read more on 24dash.

The Tories Are Building A Housing Crisis - John Prescott

When Labour left power in 1979, 42 per cent of Britons lived in council homes. Now it’s under eight per cent. So we subsidised a small minority of people to buy their own homes instead of helping others get a roof over their head. And here’s the kick. More than 30 per cent of those ex-council houses have been sold to private landlords who now charge a fortune renting them back to the poor. So we end up paying over the odds in housing benefit when it would have been better to fund housing associations and councils to build more social housing. These discounts and subsidies wasted more than £40billion of taxpayers’ money. They have created record levels of homelessness and B&B households. Read more on the Sunday Mirror website.

Council Breaks Homeless Housing Law

Oxford City Council has broken a law against housing homeless families in B&Bs for more than six weeks. The local authority said this was due to an "unexpectedly high number" of homeless families in September and high rents charged by private landlords. It is the first time it has broken the rule - imposed under government legislation - since 2004. The government said the long-term use of B&Bs to house families was "both unacceptable and unlawful". Read more on the BBC website.

What Happens If Homeless Families Are Hit By The Benefit Cap?

The number of homeless families is going up and the number of affordable homes is going down. In order to avoid disaster, councils are forced to step in to ensure that Britain’s children don’t sleep on the streets. But as local authority budgets shrink, the task of keeping children out of the cold becomes that much harder. Councils rely on a form of housing benefit to help them house homeless families. And a quirk in the rules means that this funding is also hit by the benefit cap. Because the cap is taking another bite out of the funds available to councils to help families in an emergency, struggling councils are having to resort to more desperate measures to keep children safe – such as moving families across the country or putting more families in B&Bs and other shared accommodation. Read more on the Shelter blog.

Homelessness Among Children Rises By 15,000

The number of homeless children and young people in the UK has risen by 15,000 over the past year, it has emerged.  Homelessness charity Shelter analysed latest figures on the use of temporary accommodation by families across England, Wales and Scotland. This shows that at the end of September 2015, there were 105,251 children living in temporary accommodation across the three countries, about 15,000 more than in September 2014. The use of bed and breakfast accommodation has also risen. The use of this form of accommodation rose 25 per cent, from 2,154 families with children at the end of June 2014 to 2,700 at the end of June 2015.  Since June 2010, when the figure stood at 817, the number of families with children living in bed and breakfast accommodation has trebled.  Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Shadow Chancellor Promises Action On Homeless Families

Labour will provide accommodation for 100,000 children in homeless families, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has pledged. Speaking at the annual Labour Party conference in Brighton, McDonnell said ongoing austerity measures are hitting families hard. He said austerity is “not just a word” for the 100,000 children in homeless families who live in bed and breakfast or temporary accommodation. On behalf of this party I give those children my solemn promise that when we return to government we will build you all a decent and secure home in which to live,” he said. Figures published last week show that, as of the end of June, 66,980 individuals or families were registered as having no home of their own - an increase of 12 per cent from the same date last year.

A total of 99,080 children were among those living in temporary accommodation.   Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Latest Homelessness Figures For England

Figures released by the CLG show that 13,850 households were accepted as homeless between 1 April and 30 June 2015 in England, up five per cent compared with the same quarter in 2014. On 30 June 2015 there were 5,630 households living in bed and breakfast accommodation, up 23 per cent from 4,590 a year earlier. That figures includes 2,660 families with children - an increase of 25 per cent from 2,130 on 30 June 2014. Of the 66,980 households in temporary accommodation on 30 June 2015, 17,640 were in accommodation in another local authority district, up 25 per cent from 14,130 on the same date last year. 16,370 (93 per cent) were from London authorities, an increase of 24 per cent from 13,170 on 30 June 2014. Read more on the CIH website.

B&Bs Never Suitable Accommodation For Homeless Children And Young People

Bed and breakfast accommodation is not suitable to house young homeless people - even in an emergency - the Local Government Ombudsman is reiterating. The message has been prompted by an LGO investigation, after a vulnerable teenager with significant behavioural problems was housed by the council in a B&B when his home life broke down. The teenager spent five days in B&B accommodation, but during that time the council did not carry out a new assessment of his needs – something that it is required to do by statutory guidance on homeless young people. The council did not realise that in providing him with accommodation it was treating him as a ‘looked after child’. The duties to looked after children are very specific and he should not have been allowed to stay in a B&B, or without significant support. The first time the council visited him at the B&B, was two days into his stay. Read more on the LGO website.

London Council Now Has No Families with Children in B&Bs

Hammersmith & Fulham council has bucked a London trend by having no local families with children in emergency housing in bed & breakfasts – for the first time in more than four years. The news is a major result for the council, which has regularly been forced to turn to expensive B&B landlords to help house local families in need. The council has worked hard to find alternative housing for families with children and have been successful in helping many families move directly into temporary accommodation. While far from ideal, it provides a better environment for families than B&Bs and is much less expensive. Read more on 24dash.

Councillors Approve £10m Homeless Family Housing Scheme

The one and two-bedroom flats will mean families in need can be homed locally and will not need to be put in temporary B&B accommodation. The rent would be £834 a month, compared with the average of £1,091 in Oxford for a two-bedroom property. Only those who have a strong connection to Oxford will be eligible to be rehomed in the scheme. The council's City Executive Board approved the property fund at a meeting on Thursday evening. It will be up for full council approval in September. Read more on the BBC website.

The Number of Homeless Households in B&B Is On the Rise Again

The latest government statistics show that the use of B&B to accommodate homeless families with children is making an unwanted comeback. Over the last 5 years the number of households accommodated in B&B has more than doubled, from 2,050 to 5,270. The rise in B&B use is even more acute in London, where the number of households has more than tripled. One inner-London borough has reported a 1500% increase in B&B use over a two year period alone. And B&B reflects an overall increase in the use of temporary accommodation (TA). The number of homeless households in TA has increased by 26% over the last 5 years, from 51,350 households in 2010 to 64,710 in 2015. Read more on the Shelter website.

Number of Homeless Families Housed In B&Bs Rises 300% In Five Years

The number of homeless families housed in bed and breakfast accommodation has increased by more than 300% in the past five years, according to official figures that lay bare the impact of austerity cuts on housing for the most vulnerable families in England. By the end of March, 2,570 families were living in B&Bs, an increase of 35% since last year and a staggering 308% rise on the same date in 2010, when there were 630. The numbers living in B&Bs for more than six weeks more than doubled over the past year alone. Campaigners warned it showed that local authorities were running out of capacity to house families in need – a situation that will be made worse by the government’s £12bn welfare cuts. Read more on the Guardian website.