Calls for ‘urgent, sustained action’ over rising number of children who do not have permanent home
Living in temporary accommodation has contributed to the deaths of 104 children in England in the past six years, 76 of whom were under the age of one, according to data.
Statistics also show there were 64 stillbirths and 27 neonatal deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation (TA) in the UK in 2024. Experts say the housing crisis is pushing families into conditions that endanger their lives.
Siobhain McDonagh, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation, which compiled the data, said she was appalled to see an increase in child deaths linked to TA, which has soared in use in recent years. It is estimated that 135,000 households are living in TA in England, including nearly 176,000 children.
“We should all be outraged by these figures,” McDonagh said. “We need urgent, sustained action to bring down the number of homeless children and to ensure that no family is left in conditions that put lives at risk. Because until that happens, we cannot honestly say we are doing enough.”
