Oxfordshire council using hotels 'far too often' to house homeless people
"Rapidly growing” demand means BnBs are being used more often
Oxford City Council is having to use BnBs “far too often” to house homeless people, as the number of people needing temporary accommodation doubles in the last few years.
A temporary accommodation placement policy, which would be used to guide decision-making on who goes where, was agreed by Oxford City Council’s cabinet at their meeting on Wednesday, September 17.
The report notes that “rapidly growing” demand means BnBs are having to be used more often on a nightly charge basis, and that despite the council’s efforts to increase its supply, the demand is still greater than what they have.
It adds that some households are having to stay on temporary accommodation outside Oxford because the council does not have enough temporary accommodation in the city.
There were 298 households requiring temporary accommodation in May, up from 116 in March 2023.
Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing, said at the meeting: “The number of households we have placed in temporary accommodation has more than doubled in the past few years.
“This policy is really about us being transparent about how we make decisions about placing people into temporary accommodation.
“We don’t have enough temporary that we own … , and far too often we have to use nightly charge accommodation like budget hotels.
“It’s important that people understand how decisions are being made about who is placed where.”