There are over 1,300 children in Bristol living without a permanent home. The shocking figures have come to light according to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The figures show that there were 1,188 households living in temporary accommodation in Bristol at the end of December 2022. Almost 600 of those have dependent children, a total of 1,311 children living without a permanent home.
Nationally, 101,300 households were living in temporary accommodation with this number topping 100,000 for the first time in nearly 20 years. Over 64,000 of those have dependent children, meaning 127,220 children were living without a permanent home in the UK.
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The number has more than doubled from the 50,400 that were in that situation in 2010 and it’s up by 5% from the same point in 2021, and by 15% from December 2019, before the start of the pandemic.
A total of 324 households were living in bed and breakfasts in Bristol, 20 of which had dependent children. There were 18 households with children living in hostels, reception centres, emergency units and refuges.
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Polly Neate, chief executive of homeless charity Shelter, said: “Too many families in the private rented sector are one no-fault eviction notice away from homelessness and temporary accommodation. The cost-of-living crisis coupled with a fiercely-competitive private rental market means that many families who are evicted simply can’t find anywhere else to live and have to turn to their council for help.
“We've now hit a record high of over 100,000 households who are homeless in damaging temporary accommodation. For families this can mean having to move half way across the country with their children, living in a grim converted office block or sharing the bathroom of a dodgy B&B with strangers.
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“Struggling renters are tired of waiting for these reforms that have been promised for four long years. If the government is serious about preventing growing homelessness, it must immediately bring forward the long-promised Renters’ Reform Bill which will scrap Section 21 no-fault evictions for good.”
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “Over 600,000 households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018 but we know there is more to be done to help families at risk of losing their homes. We are giving councils £1 billion through the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years, to help them prevent and tackle homelessness targeted in areas where it is needed most.
“This is on top of £26 billion cost-of-living support this year – helping those most in need. Local authorities have a duty to ensure no family is without a roof over their head and temporary accommodation plays an important role in this.
“Our forthcoming renters’ reforms will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector, reducing the risk of tenants becoming homeless.”
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A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Bristol has been in the grip of a housing crisis that is gradually deepening as the cost of renting continues to rise, wages stagnate and support needed from Westminster fails to keep pace with the growing challenge. Families often feel the impact of these issues the hardest and successive national governments have continued to push more and more households into poverty over the past decade.
"The administration is facing this problem head on by prioritising house building and challenging developers to ensure affordable and social housing form part of their plans. With over 19,000 households in Bristol on the housing register and over 1,200 in temporary accommodation, the need to build more housing is evident."
According to the spokesperson, 11,000 new homes have been built in Bristol since 2016, including 2,563 new homes in the year to April 2022. Over 700 affordable homes have been built in the past two years, including the most for any year in the last decade in 2021/22,with another 4,500 in various stages of delivery over the next five years.
"We have recently also made changes to how we allocate council housing to ensure that those most in need are prioritised and have set aside £453 million to increase the number of council homes available over the coming five years," added the spokesperson.
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