One in 200 UK households are now housed in emergency lodgings

The Financial Times (FT) recently posted analysis of houselessness stats in the UK, and the figures look absolutely dire. One in every 200 UK households is living in emergency lodgings. Compared to every one of the other richest countries in the world, Britain ranks dead last.

Failing the most vulnerable in temporary accommodation

The FT focused on its analysis on temporary accommodation. That includes things like B&Bs, hostels, or leased private properties, paid for by councils or third-sector groups whilst dealing with applications for longer-term housing. The article stated:

There is a certain out of sight, out of mind quality to temporary accommodation, but it accounts for more than 80 per cent of homelessness across the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]. Hundreds of thousands of people across the developed world live this peripheral and fragile existence, and Britain’s record is dire.

After declining for several years, the number of English households living in temporary accommodation more than doubled between 2010 and 2023 from 48,000 to 112,000, the highest figure since records began.

On top of that, in the last twelve months, the appalling state of temporary accommodations was a contributing factor to the deaths of at least 55 children in England alone. And even if a household receives more permanent lodgings, conditions in UK social housing are often mouldy, damp, unsafe, cold and inhospitable themselves.

The Big Issue added to the FT’s findings:

The latest official statistics show 327,950 households were owed support to prevent or relieve homelessness after contacting their council for help in 2024. That’s up 5% on the record-high 310,850 recorded in 2023.

Record numbers of households are living in temporary accommodation in England. A total of 131,140 households were living in temporary accommodation in March 2025 – a record-high and 12% higher than a year ago.

The total number of children living in temporary accommodation has now reached 169,050.

Why is this happening?

So, if the UK is trailing far behind other countries, what exactly has gone so wrong?

The foremost driver of new homelessness in Britain is one very simple factor: private rent is unaffordable. In 2024, the average tenant in England paid 36% of their paycheck straight to their landlord. Of course, that percentage shoots up if you’re making very little money due to part-time or gig-based work.

Then, once a household fails to pay rent and gets kicked out, they face a woefully inadequate social housing sector. For 32 councils across England, the waiting list is over 18 years long. Compared to 2015, the number of households on waiting lists in England has increased by 37%. Marry that to the 25% shrinkage of the social housing sector overall since the ’70s, and you have a recipe for disaster.

In part, this is being driven by the fact that we just aren’t building new social housing. Analysis from homelessness charity Crisis has shown that the UK experienced a net loss of more than 180,000 social homes over the past 10 years. This was due to through sales and demolitions of older houses massively outpacing new builds. In turn, this strands households on waiting lists because there simply aren’t enough houses waiting for them.

The bigger picture

Pulling back from temporary accommodation for the moment, the situation for UK homelessness in general is similarly shocking. The Museum of Homelessness recently posted on social media:

With heavy hearts we release our findings of our annual investigation into the deaths of people experiencing homelessness in 2024.

We’ve recorded a 9% increase on 2023. 55% of the people died ‘deaths of despair’ We recorded 11 children who died, although we suspect the real figure is much higher. 49 % of people were in temporary accomodation when they died.

We are calling for urgent action on this devastating situation. May they all Rest in Peace.

Likewise, the 2024 Rough Sleeping Snapshot, published in February of this year, laid bare what frontline charities are calling a “humanitarian emergency”. It showed that the number of people sleeping rough in England shot up by 20% in the last year alone.

The Big Issue reported:

The annual rough sleeping snapshot found an estimated 4,667 people were homeless on the streets on a single night in autumn 2024, up a fifth and 769 people on the 3,898 people counted in 2023.

The rise is the third consecutive year in which rough sleeping has increased but remains 2% lower than the 2017 peak when frontline workers counted 4,751 people.

The number of people sleeping rough more than doubled under the Tories with 1,768 counted in 2010 when the party first came into office. The 2024 total remains 164% higher than 15 years ago.

On every front, whether it’s social housing, temporary accommodations or rough sleeping, the UK is failing its most vulnerable. This is a choice, and it’s being caused in large part by the private landlords of the 4.6 million households who are being bled dry just to keep a roof over their heads.

The Green Party have recently backed a plan to abolish private landlords. Meanwhile, ex-chancellor Rachel Reeves‘ last spending review didn’t even mention how many of Labour’s 1.5 million new homes will be social housing.

We certainly know which party we’d back to do something about the homelessness crisis in the UK.

Featured image via Unsplash/Norbert Levajsics