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More than 24,000 households placed in temporary accommodation out of area, research shows
More than 24,000 households were placed in temporary accommodation out of their local authority area last year, according to emerging research from the University of Nottingham.
More than 24,000 households were placed in temporary accommodation out of their local authority area last year, according to emerging research from the University of Nottingham #UKhousing Researchers reported that initial findings, gathered through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all councils in England, also showed that “many” households are being placed more than 150 miles away.
The findings, which cover the past financial year, are initial and only represent the 60% of councils that have responded so far.
The university is researching the impacts of households being placed out of their local authority area after approaching their council for homelessness assistance.
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London voluntary and housing professionals warn of ‘unprecedented crisis’ in temporary accommodation
So far, evidence has shown that Black and minority households are disproportionately overrepresented in out-of-area placement data.
On top of this, researchers have found that a “significant” amount of local authorities are not recording ethnicity data for out-of-area placements
Researchers have also come across instances where data is completely unreported both to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and FOI requests.
Signe Gosmann, network development worker and researcher at Justlife, which works with and supports people in temporary accommodation, said the new data “shows the continuation of a very concerning trend”.
She added: “Where struggling local authorities are pitted against each other in an unhelpful competition for cheap housing provided by private landlords, and some of our most vulnerable citizens are dealt a double blow by first losing a home and then losing access to everything that helps them feel safe.”
Ms Gosmann said the impact of this is that “people are left lonely, isolated and struggling with their mental health in an unfamiliar environment”.
“This is more evidence of a broken system. It is particularly concerning to see that black and minoritised households are disproportionately affected.
“We need to look at how data is collected in order to improve understanding of the mechanisms at play, so we can be proactive in designing a system that works for all,” she explained.
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