Households in temporary accommodation
Key points
- The proportion of households in London who are placed by local authorities in temporary accommodation is far higher than any other region or city in England
- Around 48,000 households live in temporary accommodation in London.
- This figure has come down since 2007, as it as throughout the country
The proportion of households in temporary accommodation
What does this graph show?
The graph above shows that there is almost no comparison between London and the other regions of England in the proportion of households living in temporary accommodation. In London, about 1.5% of households are in temporary accommodation - some 48,000 households. This rate is ten times as high as any region outside of London.
This all-London rate is also far higher than that for any other large city in the country. The city with the second highest rate, Manchester, has just 0.2% of households in temporary accommodation.
Put another way, of the 64,000 households in temporary accommodation in all of England in March 2009, about three-quarters were in London.
The proportion of households in temporary accommodation has decreased in London, from 1.9% to 1.5% in the last two years. This fall has been mirrored elsewhere in the country.
The indicator on homelessness shows that, while more families were recognised as homeless in London than elsewhere last year, the difference was not large. It was certainly not enough to explain this huge difference in the numbers of households in temporary accommodation. Find out why this is here
The high number of children living in temporary accommodation contributes to the high turnover in pupil numbers and leads to gaps in the child's schooling. Children in such accommodation have lower levels of achievement than other children.
Data used
DCLG 20079
Association of London Government (2005) Breaking Point: Examining the Disruption Caused by Pupil Mobility
Indicator last updated: 27 July 2010
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Other indicators in Children
- Child poverty
- Poverty in Inner and Outer London
- In-work poverty across England
- Children in households receiving out-of-work benefits
- Child ill health
- Infant deaths by borough
- Attainment at age 11 by borough
- Free school meals and attainment at age 11
- Underage conception by borough
- Children in workless households over time
- Children in workless households by type
- Attainment at age 11 by region
- In-work poverty over time
- Families receiving in-work benefits
View all indicators
Glossary
Temporary Accommodation:
Otherwise known as "interim" or "emergency" accommodation in B&Bs, hostels, bedsits and flats. People who are recognised as homeless by their local authorities are housed in temporary accommodation until their needs have been properly assessed and suitable accommodation found
Homeless:
To be formally recognised as homeless, the person or household must either lack a 'licence to occupy' a home, be unable to access their normal accommodation, or it must be considered unreasonable for them to have to occupy the home they are in
(Adapted from the Housing Act 1996 Part VII para 175)