At least 99,000 school children are homeless in temporary accommodation before Christmas in England, startling figures show.
Ministry of Housing data obtained by charity Shelter found that at least one in 24 primary school children in London are living in temporary accommodation.
In Birmingham, there are 7,394 school children aged between 5 and 17 who have nowhere permanent to call home – the highest in England.
This is a 12% increase in comparison to 2023 and a 28% increase since 2022.
Birmingham is the largest authority in England, so second behind this is Newham with 6,854 school aged children not living in a permanent home.
It has led Shelter’s group chief executive to brand the figures as ‘heartbreaking’.
Councillor Jayne Francis, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness at Birmingham City Council, told Metro that the city is working towards the goal of reducing homelessness numbers.
She said: ‘Birmingham City Council is working on every front to prevent homelessness, and where temporary accommodation is required, ensure it is safe and suitable.
‘However, the number of households with young children in temporary accommodation in Birmingham is increasing and is a concern.
‘For many families in the city and across the country, the reality is that many are enduring difficult circumstances and facing years-long waits for a home.
‘Despite this overwhelming demand, we are doing everything possible to construct new homes. However, the sheer demand necessitates government intervention – our current rate of house building cannot keep up with the current level of demand.’
In London, one mum, Fauzia, 44, was served a no-fault Section 21 eviction seven years ago and has been in temporary accommodation since then.
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She has been placed in temporary accommodation with her husband and three children in Ealing and endures long journeys to get her children to school in Waltham Cross.
Fauzia has experienced raw sewage backflowing into her bathroom sink as well as damp and mould in her flat.
She said: ‘There are so many problems – the house is freezing cold and poor plumbing leads the toilet to flood every day. It took weeks for the agency to fix it, only for it to break down again. I tried to contact the council, but they ignored me – I just don’t know what to do.
‘The journey to get my children to school is killing me. My back hurts and we’re constantly late because our accommodation is so far away. It ends up being such a long day for them; they fall asleep in the car because they’re so exhausted.
‘When we finally get home, there’s barely enough time for them to eat dinner and have a bath. My children are missing out on their childhoods.’
Further figures show that 56,000 primary school children in England will spend Christmas homeless this Christmas – the equivalent to one child homeless in every third primary school classroom in England.
London comes out worst here with 1 in 24 primary school children homeless in temporary accommodation across the capital.
Like with school-aged children, Newham in London is the worst affected area in London for homeless primary school children aged 5 to 11.
Outside of the capital, Luton comes out worst.
Deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, Angela Rayner, vowed to crackdown on these figures.
She said: ‘I am determined to break the cycle of spiralling homelessness and get back on track to ending it for good.
‘This largest-ever investment marks a turning point, giving councils the tools they need to act quickly and put in place support for people to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness. It’s time to turn the tide.’
The government has also announced that councils across England will receive almost £1 billion of new funding next year to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness.
This comes alongside new money to help rough sleepers off the street.
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, added: ‘It’s heartbreaking that one in three primary school classrooms include a child who will spend this Christmas homeless.
‘Families across the country tell us the housing emergency is damaging their children’s education. Thousands are growing up without the space or basic facilities to sleep, play or do their homework.
‘To give children a chance to succeed, the government must end the nightmare of child homelessness by building a new generation of decent social rent homes.’
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