The government recently announced £84 million in funding to help children and families in temporary accommodation with essentials like food costs, school travel and laundry. Meanwhile, £8m in funding for emergency accommodation reduction pilots is going to the worst-affected local authorities to reduce B&B use.
Addressing MPs from the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on ending homelessness on Tuesday (21 October) during a Westminster Hall debate, McGovern said the scale of the issue was a shock.
“I can’t say anything other than children living in B&B accommodation has to be brought to an end. Even if we have seen a small drop, it is not good enough yet,” said McGovern.
“Coming into this role I have been utterly shocked by the situation in terms of use of B&Bs and our children. That’s why we’re working with the 20 local authorities with the highest level of bed and breakfast use for homeless families to identify solutions that actually work for their local circumstances.”
She added: “The government has inherited a crisis. We have tried to make some progress quickly and I hope that colleagues will see I have wasted no time in getting more money to local authorities to help now while we finish the strategy. But, in the end, that long-term approach is what we need.”
McGovern’s admission comes as the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CFIH) has published a report laying bare the scale of the crisis involving women and children in temporary accommodation.
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The group’s report said 13 out of every 1,000 children in England are growing up in temporary accommodation.
It put the spotlight on stories of women like Danielle, 43, who has been trapped in temporary accommodation in London for eight years after fleeing domestic violence with her newborn daughter.
The small, privately rented two-bedroom flat costs £1,800 a month in rent but offers no stability or security and Danielle has started living out of bags out of fear of having to move again. She and her daughter share one room with the other too cramped and damp to use properly.
“She’s nine now, and she’s never had her own room, never had somewhere to put up posters or invite friends over,” said Danielle, who has Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. “Homework happens on the bed, because there isn’t a desk or table.”
Danielle added: “She asks me, ‘Mum, why can’t our home be like everyone else’s?’ And I don’t know what to say.”
CFIH’s report found households with children living in temporary accommodation should be provided with targeted support to address their needs and mitigate the challenges of their housing situation.
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That could take the form of emotional and psychological support or mindfulness sessions for parents and children.
The group also called for teachers and doctors to receive better training to recognise the signs of families living in temporary accommodation.
There is no formal notification system between councils, healthcare and education providers when a family falls into homelessness. Campaigners, including Shared Health Foundation, have been calling for that to change.
CFIH also called for more robust testing of ways to move families out of temporary accommodation and into secure tenancies. For example, using discretionary housing payments to cover rents.
Dr Lígia Teixeira, CEO of Centre for Homelessness Impact, said: “Temporary accommodation provides an important safety net, but for too many families it has become a trap with children growing up in overcrowded, unsuitable housing and their parents leading limited lives.
“Our new report shows that while we must do more to prevent homelessness in the first place, we also need targeted, well-evidenced interventions to reduce the harm it causes. Supporting families’ health, education and wellbeing while they are in temporary accommodation is essential if we are to break the cycle of instability and give every child a fair start in life.”
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The report will be food for thought for homelessness minister McGovern who received plenty during the Westminster Hall debate.
A total of 17 backbench MPs made speeches urging McGovern to step up efforts to tackle homelessness, including laying out when the the long-promised cross-government homelessness strategy would be published.
APPG chair Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, said: “They’re not just numbers on a page, they are lives in limbo.
“Homelessness is a moral crisis but it’s also a practical one. Local authorities in London alone are now spending almost £5m every single day on temporary accommodation. Accommodation that is often of poor quality and damages health, education and hinders opportunity.”
In response, McGovern confirmed that the homelessness strategy would be published before the end of the year.
She also doubled down on Labour’s pledge to focus on prevention.
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“The strategy that we will publish on homelessness will get to the heart of the problem. More homes, incorporating all the work that we have done to change planning and also getting the Renters’ Rights Bill in effect so that we can abolish Section 21 evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against,” said McGovern.
“Prevention must be at the heart of our strategy. That’s why we’re making that record investment into prevention services and that’s why the spending review protected that funding for the next three years. We’ve done work on top of that to increase it. It seems to be so important and such a crisis at the moment.”
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