At least 4,200 Essex children in temporary homes

At least 4,200 children lived in temporary accommodation in Essex between April and June 2024, according to government figures.

Chelmsford has the highest number of homeless households in the county, and the council helped 480 families find a roof over their heads.

Emma Hughes, the chief executive of the city's homeless charity Sanctus, said the situation had a "huge impact on children".

Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali said: "We have already announced extra funding to bring support for homelessness services to £1bn next year to end homelessness for good."

Figures showed at least 3,000 households across Essex were put up in hotels, bed and breakfasts and shared houses during the same period.

The districts of Maldon and Epping Forest were not included in the government data.

Nationally across England, more than 159,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.

Ms Hughes said there was a lack of available and affordable housing, and that the city council was instead relocating people in Ipswich and Norfolk.

"I've seen it escalate hugely in recent years," she told BBC Essex.

"Some parents turn to various addictions due to the stress.

"The fact that it's Christmas just means that it becomes more evident how isolating and lonely it can really be.

"The situation is dire."

Ms Hughes said children were missing out on education as a result, and she described how "many of them" were living on takeaway food such as Pot Noodle due to a lack of cooking facilities.

Chelmsford City Council said it currently had more than 500 households in temporary accommodation.

A spokesperson for the authority said: "We're seeing increasing numbers of families who need our help.

"Such is the squeeze on our housing supply, that sometimes there is nothing available and we must look further afield.

"We would urge anyone at risk of homelessness to get in touch with us as early as possible so that we can try to keep them in their existing home."

Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, said rates of demand for housing in the district were "slightly in excess of national averages".

"At the moment we have 280 households which include children or expectant mothers in different forms of temporary accommodation," he said.

Ali, who is also the MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney in east London, said: "It is a scandal that so many children are waking up in temporary accommodation.

"We have inherited the consequences of years of failure to grip the housing crisis with families facing the brutal uncertainty and trauma of homelessness."