If Britain were a country that had its priorities straight, London’s mounting homelessness crisis would be among its most pressing social issues. The capital has 60,580 homeless households, which include more than 80,000 children, many of them preschoolers. There has been a staggering rise of about 70% in the number of households in temporary accommodation since 2010.
The conditions these families face are intolerable: many live in hotel rooms with no cooking facilities and barely enough space for a baby to crawl. Others live in converted office blocks that are caked in mould and highly vulnerable to fire. Some have been stuck in these conditions for more than a decade, with some toddlers growing into adolescents as they wait for a half-decent home.
