More than 75,000 children are stuck in temporary accommodation in London due to the lack of homes and the shortfall in housing benefit allowances, experts have warned.
Two reports, one for Mayor Sadiq Khan by University College London and the other by the Centre for London think-tank, said the cost of living crisis could see an increase in homelessness.
This could reverse the recent decline in the number of families will be forced to live in single room “bed and breakfast” accommodation, and share a kitchen and bathroom with other families.
Latest Government statistics show there were 38,160 households with children in temporary accommodation in London in the first quarter of this year – almost 60 per cent of all those in temporary accommodation across the country. Thousands of families are forced to move to another area or town in search of a home.
The reports highlighted the gap between the amount of housing benefit available and the cost of finding a property in the private sector. They said that the benefit should be increased to at least half of the average rental rate in each area.
The Centre for London said there was a “hidden homelessness crisis”. It called for the removal of the £23,000 benefit cap and matching local housing allowance rates to the real cost of housing in London.
Claire Harding, research director at Centre for London, said: “Far too many Londoners are already stuck in temporary accommodation and we’re really worried that the number will rise this winter.”
The UCL review, led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, said the inadequate level of social housing across London was affecting children’s physical and mental health and could permanently hinder their development.
Sir Michael said: “This is an unacceptable state-of-affairs as it blights children’s future permanently. Our homes provide the living environment that dictates our future health. We know that living in cold, damp and mouldy homes leads to lung damage in children and impairs their development.
“Children are less likely to be able to do their homework if their home is cold and overcrowded, leading to them falling behind at school. Long term that is more likely to lead to low-income, unstable work and not being able to make ends meet.”
Mr Khan, said: “I welcome the findings of this important report, which highlights how more government investment in social housing is vital to improving health and addressing health inequalities.
“It is unacceptable that a child’s background and postcode has such a major impact on their overall health.
“Since I became Mayor, we have delivered record-breaking affordable homebuilding. This includes starting work on more new council homes last year than at any time since the 1970s. But the government must now help us to do even more by rapidly increasing investment in good quality social housing that meets the scale of demand in our city.”
