Homelessness minister Alison McGovern: 'Labour will stop homeless kids growing up in B&Bs'

Imagine having to take your newborn baby straight from hospital to live in a B&B.

This is the devastating reality that can be faced by new mothers who are homeless and stuck living in temporary accommodation.

Politics is all about choices and the previous government chose austerity.

As a result, increasing numbers of children were condemned to poverty.

Latest data shows more than 172,000 children living in temporary accommodation – over twice as many as in 2010. This includes more than 5,000 kids under the age of one.

We will end the use of B&Bs for families except in emergencies and ensure newborns are never discharged from hospital into B&B accommodation.

This is a vital element of our new child poverty strategy to be published.

It means working with local authorities, supported by the NHS, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used – from self-contained accommodation to supported housing for families.

And we’re backing this with a £3.4 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years – with more details in our homelessness strategy due shortly.

We know things can be different because we’ve done it before.

Read more:

• Alison McGovern named as new homelessness minister after Rushanara Ali rent scandal
• Alison McGovern: ‘Homelessness crisis is a reminder of how politics can fail people. It cannot continue’
• Homelessness minister ‘shocked’ at number of children in temporary accommodation and B&Bs

This was an economic as well as moral choice because ending child poverty goes hand in hand with raising living standards and growth.

That’s why the chancellor scrapped the two-child benefit cap in her budget last week, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty.

It’s why we are building 1.5 million new homes, including the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, while changing the law to making renting more secure and affordable.

Where previous governments failed to keep their promises to reform the private rented sector and support families, we are now taking action.

Every child deserves a decent start in life – and we’ll make sure they get it.

Alison McGovern is homelessness minister and Labour MP for Birkenhead.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life this Christmas.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.