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Children in temporary accommodation in London ‘suffering appalling abuses of their rights’, research finds
The human rights of children living in temporary accommodation in London are being violated as a result of “persistent policy failures by central and local government”, research has found.
A report published today by Human Rights Watch and the Childhood Trust argued that the UK is failing in its duty to ensure the right to adequate housing for homeless families.
Based on interviews with 75 people, including 33 who are currently living in or had recently left temporary accommodation, the report found families living in conditions including toxic mould, cold temperatures, and a lack of adequate space.
Examples included a pregnant mother with three children who was forced to live in a studio flat in Lambeth that was so small the whole family had to share a double bed.
The researchers also spoke to a 15-year-old girl who lived in a metal container apartment block between 2018 and 2020 that had cracks which let in the cold in winter.
Her mother was forced to send her to live with family outside of London after she was diagnosed with pneumonia, causing her to miss two months of school.
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The report said the situation in the capital is a result of reduced funding for local authorities, cuts to the welfare system and a lack of affordable permanent housing.
According to government figures, there were 42,290 families living in temporary accommodation in London as of October last year.
The total number of families living in temporary accommodation has increased 65% since 2011.
Human Rights Watch called on the UK government to enshrine the right to housing in domestic law to ensure those whose rights are violated have “access to speedy and effective remedies”.
The right to adequate housing is recognised in international law, however this right has not been implemented in domestic UK law.
“Children are suffering appalling abuses of their rights with devastating consequences for their health, education, and life chances. This report is a wake-up call to the government that this abuse has to stop,” said Laurence Guinness, chief executive of the Childhood Trust.
The report also calls on the government to create a legally enforceable temporary accommodation standards framework in consultation with local authorities, housing providers, third sector partners, and residents and former residents of temporary accommodation.
It also urges the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee to conduct an inquiry into the current state of temporary accommodation.
Alex Firth, senior co-ordinator at Human Rights Watch, said: “The government needs to urgently address this hidden aspect of the housing crisis by reducing reliance on temporary accommodation and tackling the issue of housing unfit for families to live in.”
In response to the research, a spokesperson for London Councils said: “Boroughs do their best to support and find suitable accommodation for homeless families, but London’s extreme housing pressures and many years of reductions to council budgets have made this work harder and harder."
They urged the government to "do much more to tackle family homelessness, including using the welfare system to help Londoners meet their housing costs and boosting funding for the affordable homes the capital urgently needs”.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “All children deserve to live in a safe and decent home, and we’re strengthening councils’ enforcement powers to tackle overcrowding and reduce social housing waiting lists, which have fallen by 57% in London since 2010.
“More than 119,000 affordable homes have been delivered in the capital over the past 10 years, with a further £4bn allocated to London to deliver 35,000 homes over the next five years.
“We are driving down the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs, with over £2bn committed to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the next three years.”
