Number of people in temporary accommodation rising “faster than ever before”

The number of people in temporary accommodation is increasing at a “higher rate than ever before,” according to a service manager at Lewisham council.

Lee Georgiou, housing needs and refugee service group manager, made the comments at a children and young people select committee meeting on January 23.

He was presenting a report which included parents saying they found “used condoms, syringes and other drug paraphernalia in communal spaces” where they were housed.

It detailed the mental and physical impact on children living in temporary accommodation, including social isolation, bedwetting, and a 25 per cent increased risk of disability or severe ill-health.

At the end of June 2019, there were 4,464 children in temporary accommodation.

According to the report, children who have been made homeless can experience difficulty sleeping and are up to 10 times more likely to get meningitis.

They are more likely to suffer from social isolation and anxiety, which can continue after they are rehoused.

This is “particularly acute in secondary children where lack of access to toilet and washing facilities can mean hair and uniform goes unwashed”.

Children in temporary accommodation lack access to toys, leading to a lack of stimulation, while a lack of space can cause delayed crawling and walking.

Delayed toilet training, speech delays and bed wetting were also linked to living in temporary accommodation.

Children affected by homelessness can fall asleep in class, while frequent moves are associated with lower educational success by the late teens.

Mr Georgiou told the committee: “All of the evidence and research that is done independently says that the impact on children once they go into temporary accommodation is very negative.

“We are doing what we can to mitigate those impacts, but the best thing we can do for families is to stop them from becoming homeless in the first place.”

He said the numbers in temporary accommodation were “increasing at a higher rate than ever before”.