To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the data on homelessness published on 25 July that showed that more than 131,000 children were living in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2023, what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation.
Answered on
15 September 2023
Temporary accommodation ensures no family is without a roof over their head, however the Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs.
That is why Government has provided local authorities in excess of £1 billion over the next 3 years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Local authorities can use the funding flexibly to work with landlords to prevent evictions and offer financial support for people to find a new home and move out of temporary accommodation.
This is on top of total government support of over £94 billion over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, meaning around 8 million households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in payments this year.