Almost 2,000 children were homeless and living in temporary accommodation in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire council areas this spring.
There were a total of 890 homeless households with children living in places such as B&Bs and hostels during the three months to March, according to the latest government figures. Those families had a total of 1,910 children between them.
That’s up from 1,558 children at the same time last year, and 917 in March 2020 just before the pandemic. Most of the homeless children in temporary accommodation in March (1,746) were in Bristol, 115 were in South Gloucestershire, and 49 were in North Somerset.
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The number of homeless children living in temporary accommodation is also up across England as a whole. There were a total of 74,530 homeless households with children living in temporary accommodation in March.
Those families had a total of 151,630 children between them. That’s up from 125,490 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and more than double the 74,610 children in March 2010, just before the Conservative-led government came to power.
A total of 674 households were living in B&Bs in the Bristol region in March, including 110 with children; all but two of which were in Bristol itself. That includes 11 which had been there for over six weeks – which is the maximum amount of time that families should be housed in this type of accommodation.
Bristol City Council has more than 22,000 households on its waiting list for social housing, along with over 1,600 households in temporary accommodation. As of August 31, 2023, there were 1,348 households in temporary accommodation and this increased to 1,660 households as of October 1, 2024 (784 single people, 876 families).
Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee at Bristol City Council, said “Bristol remains in the grip of a housing crisis that is affecting every community across the city. Growing demand for housing coupled with rising costs and shrinking availability of affordable homes is pushing a growing number of households towards homelessness.
“Temporary accommodation provides vital homes for people to live in while the council assesses their housing needs, and they wait for a more permanent home. The council is committed to providing safe, secure, and suitable temporary accommodation for those who need it.
“Reducing the number of children and families in temporary accommodation is a key priority for the council, and the best way to do this is by increasing the amount of affordable housing, particularly social housing, and the appropriate reform of the private rental market to maximise stability and affordability. We are making our own progress by building Bristol’s first social homes at scale for over a generation and working with local organisations to present recommendations for rent reform. However, we must look to Westminster to unlock the financial, regulatory and policy opportunities to support us to go further.
“There is no single solution to the temporary accommodation crisis we and other councils face, but it is clear that whilst the housing crisis continues to cast a shadow over the city, we will continue to face ongoing challenges in ensuring support is there for those who need housing.”