Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities experiencing a significant rise in the number of families requiring temporary accommodation.

Homelessness levels are far too high. There are far too many living in temporary accommodation - including 560 families and 839 children in Thurrock as of the 30 September 2024. This is symptomatic of the housing crisis we have inherited and is not acceptable. We know being in temporary accommodation can have a devastating impact on people, particularly children. That is why we will take the action needed to tackle this issue, working across government and with local leaders to develop a long-term strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness.

We are already taking the first steps to get us back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget in October, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. As part of this, we are providing an uplift of £192.9 million to the Homelessness Prevention Grant, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £633.2 million - the largest investment in this grant since it began.

We are also addressing the use of emergency accommodation for homeless families, including the use of bed and breakfast, through a new £8 million programme of Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots. We are working with the 20 local authorities with the highest levels of B&B use for homeless families to test innovative approaches and kickstart new initiatives.

We are also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. We will also abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions with immediate effect, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Accredited official statistics on statutory homelessness applications, duties, and outcomes for local authorities in England were published on the 27 February 2025 and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness.