Rise in children experiencing homelessness across Greater Manchester
New figures reveal the situation nationwide
New figures have revealed a rise in children experiencing homelessness across the Greater Manchester region, according to data published today by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Nationally, a total of 117,450 households were living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of March, up by 24% on 95,000 in early 2022.
This included 5,649 households in Greater Manchester (3,655 of these households had children).
The data showed 151,630 children were living in temporary accommodation, an increase of 15% compared with the end of March last year and the highest figure since the measure began in 2004.
7,679 children in Greater Manchester were living in temporary accommodation at the end of March, up from 6,542 the previous quarter (although it should be noted Salford did not report in the previous quarter).
Temporary accommodation is a form of homelessness and can include people living in hostels or bed and breakfasts.
Despite the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017) which expanded the obligations of Local Authorities to provide greater access homelessness services, numbers have continued to rise with more individuals either finding themselves with nowhere to live or stuck in temporary accommodation.
In recent years this has been exacerbated by the poor supply of affordable housing, whether through shortages in social housing, inaccessible and uncertain private rental markets, or increasing mortgage costs.
Speaking on todays’ figures, Dr. Fran Darlington-Pollock, CEO of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, which aims to address homelessness and rough sleeping in the city region, said the situation is bleak: “In the past five years, we have been able to fund over 78,000 nights of accommodation in the pioneering A Bed Every Night scheme for those who would otherwise have been sleeping on our streets, but the picture of homelessness is not limited to the experiences of people rough sleeping, but also includes those often unseen in temporary housing.
“The outlook, both in Greater Manchester and nationally is bleak. Too many young people are at critical stages of their young adulthood without the safety and security of a home. This disrupts learning, it disrupts relationships and it disrupts lives.”
“The cost of living crisis, combined with changes in policy across the board - from housing to welfare and asylum rights - have had a consequential effect on the number of people experiencing homelessness. We hope the new approaches that the new Government has tabled, especially their plans for housing, will provide some positive news in the months ahead, but as these latest figures show, there is a national crisis taking place.
“It’s clear that without suitable accommodations for those facing homelessness, the costs to Local Authorities will continue to increase as will the numbers in temporary accommodation. This also risks increases in the numbers of people facing a night on the streets.
“Everyone has a human right to have shelter and to feel safe. No one should be without a home. We must continue to provide as much support as possible to those made most vulnerable by our society.”