Councils are moving homeless families out of their neighbourhoods at almost three times the rate that has been officially recognised, and some have been uprooted hundreds of miles from their support networks, according to research.
Data released under freedom of information (FoI) revealed that 34,418 households were placed out of area last year, based on responses from 80% of English councils. This incomplete figure suggests a total that is 172% above what was officially recorded the previous year.
Of the councils that responded, 13 admitted placing homeless households more than 200 miles away.
The latest figures, compiled by Nottingham University and shared exclusively with the Guardian, suggested either a large year-on-year increase or, more likely, that the practice is being systematically under-reported in government statistics.
The most recent official homelessness statistics suggested 12,640 homeless households were sent by councils to other areas in 2021-22, and 14,620 the year before.
One London council told researchers it was moving hundreds of families out of its area, but admitted it had not informed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) about any of them.
The finding is part of a longer-term project on the impact on homeless families of being moved away from jobs, family and support networks. Figures collected by the Guardian earlier this year found that 6,000 households had been relocated more than 20 miles from their local neighbourhood in the past four years. But Nottingham University’s research suggests many more families have been moved and at greater distances.
Dr Steve Iafrati, an assistant professor of social policy at the University of Nottingham who led the research, said: “Both the statistics from FoI and information from interviews we have conducted are deeply troubling. We now know that the problem is more than twice as bad as DLUHC data would suggest.
“People cannot afford to live in London, and they are therefore being shipped out to places like Blackburn and Burnley in the north-west.” Other examples included homeless families on the south-west coast being moved to the Midlands.
Iafrati said the discrepancy between the official figures and the FoI response could be explained by under-reporting.
“Under section 208 of the Housing Act, local authorities have to tell the receiving local authority that they’re moving somebody into their area. What we’re finding is that that doesn’t happen any more. They can’t get out of disclosing data after FoI requests, but what data they return to DLUHC is clearly within their gift,” he said.
“We spoke to one London local authority, which was moving out hundreds of families, who said they reported nothing to the DLUHC [about out of area placements], and they’re clearly not being chased for the numbers. There is huge under-reporting.”
Iafrati said the families involved were the most vulnerable in society. “These are people who have got no money, who have experienced domestic abuse, who have come out of prison, or who have mental health problems. They are then moved sometimes hundreds of miles away from their families, from social networks, from their mental health practitioners and from their children’s school – and the vast majority have children.”
Iafrati said black and minority ethnic families were most affected by the practice. Of the councils moving more than 100 families out of their areas, more than 90% confirmed that black and minority ethnic families were disproportionately involved.
He said: “We clearly have a rapidly escalating problem with ‘out of area’ housing and the impact it is having on those placed often a significant distance from their original authority. There is a clear and deepening issue of supply of affordable housing, with a lack of transparent national housing strategy, and societies most vulnerable are feeling the brunt.”
Many of the families interviewed for the project said they felt stranded and neglected by councils after being moved from their local areas. One said: “I’ve sent them an email every single week and they’ve not responded … They thought: ‘Quick, let’s wash our hands of her.’”
Another said: “I’ve been in my job for 15 years, but now it’s hard to go to work. It takes me over an hour and a half to get to there … They’ve just abandoned me.”
A third said: “It’s too much stress … I have to be positive for them [her children]. I mean, I’ve ripped them away from their friends.”
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “We are clear that councils should try wherever possible to keep households in their current local area. However, if there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, it can sometimes be necessary to place homeless households in another area. This should always be as a last resort.”
• This article was amended on 30 August 2023 to use a more suitable image.
