Children living in ‘temporary’ accommodation for more than five years, investigation reveals
Children in some parts of England are spending more than five and a half years in temporary accommodation, a Sky News investigation has found.
Data from Freedom of Information requests shows London and the South East are the regions seeing the longest stays for homeless households.
More than two-thirds of local authorities saw households with children experience stays 20% longer than households without children.
The average length of time spent in temporary accommodation ranges from two weeks to five and a half years – depending on where in the country people live.
Average lengths of stay for all households have increased by nearly a fifth (17%) since 2020.
£1bn funding boost for councils to tackle homelessness
Lewisham was the worst-affected local authority, with some families with children having been stuck in temporary accommodation for more than five and a half years in 2023-24.
In 2020-21, the average length of stay in the south-east London borough was 620 days – in the four years since it has risen to 2,044.
Lewisham, Brighton and Wandsworth are the areas that currently have the longest average stays – all more than three and a half years.
That is according to the latest data from the first six months of this financial year (2024-25). Ninety-seven councils responded to Sky News’ Freedom of Information requests.
Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have been in temporary accommodation for years
Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation in London.
Despite working full-time, she has been unable to find anywhere to privately rent.
She said Logan, who is four, has spent “most of his life” in temporary accommodation.
“They told me I could be here for another three years,” she said. “I don’t want him to be suffering in one room.”
Nicole also describes temporary accommodation as “not safe for any child under the age of seven”.
She added: “When the government are giving nothing to the council, and the council have nowhere to put us, they’re literally putting us where they have, be it safe or not.”
Nicole and Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation
‘Children will grow up with different life chances’
Claire Cruise, a lawyer from Southwark Law Centre specialising in education, describes a “two-tier system” developing between those children who live in temporary accommodation, and those who do not.
She said: “You have the long-term impact on children’s mental health, you have the social isolation… children in hotel rooms don’t have desks to be able to do their work, they fall behind their peers so quickly.
“My fear is that it leads to a two-tier society and we are talking a significant number who will grow up with completely different life chances.”
A shortage of housing nationally is contributing towards the homelessness crisis.
The government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.
Shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, Kevin Hollinrake, describes the plan as “confused” and “chaotic”.
He told Sky News: “Look at the maps, look at where those houses are, many of the boroughs of London have seen a decrease in their targets for housing delivery, a decrease.
“Yet we know the demand in London for rough sleeping, for temporary accommodation, is at its highest.
“So it makes no sense… it’s chaotic right now. It’s all over the place.
“Now say if they can deliver on this stuff, great… more affordable homes, more social homes, then we’ll welcome that… but at the moment it’s very difficult to see how that’s going to happen.”
Read more on Sky News:
Starmer has big housing ambitions – but will it work?
Councils to get £68m to build on brownfield sites
‘Consequences of years of failure’
In response, the minister for homelessness Rushanara Ali said the government has “inherited the consequences of years of failure to grip the housing crisis”.
She described “far too many families and children” who are “facing the uncertainty and trauma of homelessness”.
“This has to stop, which is why we are taking decisive action and working at pace across government to end homelessness,” she said.
“We have already announced extra funding to bring support for homelessness services to £1bn next year.
“On top of this, we will deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and tackle one of the biggest drivers of homelessness by ending no fault evictions.”
A 53-year-old man has been charged after a car was driven into a crowd at Liverpool FC’s trophy parade.
Paul Doyle, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, has been charged with seven offences, Merseyside Police said.
The businessman, who is a father-of-three, is accused of two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Paul Doyle
Doyle is also accused of two counts of attempted unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and one count of dangerous driving.
He is due to appear before Liverpool Magistrates Court on Friday.
The charges relate to six people, including two children. A wounding charge and an attempted grievous bodily harm charge relate to a child.
A police car was outside Doyle’s four-bedroom detached family home in the West Derby area on Thursday morning.
According to his social media, he has travelled extensively including Japan, Fiji, India and Australia. Doyle has posted pictures of himself competing in triathlons, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
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New Liverpool incident footage
Thousands of fans were gathered in Liverpool city centre on Monday to celebrate the Premier League champions’ title win when a car struck a crowd on Water Street.
Police said a total of 79 people were injured in the incident, with the youngest aged nine, and the oldest being a 78-year-old.
Seven people remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Forensic officers at the scene in Water Street. Pic: PA
‘Huge volume of evidence’
Chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Mersey-Cheshire, Sarah Hammond, told a news conference on Thursday that the investigation was at an early stage and a “huge volume of evidence” was being reviewed.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure that every victim gets the justice they deserve.
“The charges will be kept under review as the investigation progresses.”
Police ‘working tirelessly’
Also at the briefing where the charges were announced was Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Jenny Sims, who said: “I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions.
“Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism, to seek the answer to all of those questions. When we are able to, we will provide further information.”
The youngest victim injured in the Liverpool parade crash on Monday is nine years old, police have said.
They added that the oldest is 78, with all 79 people injured understood to be British. Seven remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Merseyside Police declined to say what drug the 53-year-old man arrested over the incident is alleged to have taken.
“We wouldn’t go into this detail at this stage of the investigation,” the force said.
Police at the scene in Liverpool. Pic: AP
Forensic officers in Water Street. Pic: PA
Police are still questioning the driver and were granted further time to do so on Wednesday.
Officers have until Thursday evening to question the man from West Derby.
He is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving.
Police believe the car which struck pedestrians was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack after a road block was temporarily lifted.
Hundreds of thousands of Liverpool fans had turned out to celebrate their team’s Premier League title when the incident unfolded on Water Street just after 6pm on Monday.
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‘My boy in his pram, got bounced’
‘The best day of my life turned into worst’
Sky News interviewed a lifelong Liverpool fan who said his five-month-old son was “bounced” 15ft (4.6m) in his pram after they were hit by the vehicle.
The child was not counted in the police’s injury tally.
Daniel Eveson, 36, also said his partner had been driven over.
“The best day of my life turned into [the] worst,” Mr Eveson said.
He added: “Me and my partner were flat on the roof, on the bonnet… we were just both trying to hold on for dear life with Ted next to us.
“And my partner went under the wheels of the car, of the front of the car, and it rolled over her leg, and I just bounced off to the side, but my boy and his pram got bounced totally in the opposite direction – about 15ft down the road.”
Read more:
How the parade crash unfolded
Police given more time to question Liverpool suspect
Why police released ‘unprecedented’ details
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Liverpool to meet with police chiefs and the local metro mayor.
He said he was being kept informed of developments, adding: “The scenes on Monday were just awful, to see how incredible joy at an amazing achievement turned to horror in a moment.”
Messages of support have been sent to the people of Liverpool, including from the King who said: “I know that the strength of community spirit for which your city is renowned will be a comfort and support to those in need.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.
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