One in 50 Londoners homeless and in emergency homes - London Councils

About one in 50 Londoners are believed to have been placed in emergency accommodation by their local authority after being made homeless.

Based on homelessness data, the cross-party group London Councils estimates nearly 170,000 people in the capital are now living in hostels, bedsits, or other temporary accommodation.

The group believes that number has increased of 17,000 in a year.

The organisation estimates that this includes more than 83,000 children.

Many more people in London are homeless and sofa-surfing or sleeping rough.

The number of children living in emergency accommodation in London equates to one child in every classroom in the capital, London Councils believes.

People are placed in temporary accommodation by councils if they have been made homeless. They may then be permanently housed by their local authority, but most councils have a waiting list of several years.

Councils record this data by household, rather than by individual people. Figures are calculated based on average statistics for the number of people and children per house.

Over a five-year period, the number of people in temporary accommodation in the capital rose by an estimated 5,400. But a decline in that number in 2021-2022 was followed by a large rise of 17,000 in the year 2022-2023.

London Councils believes this is due to the cost-of-living crisis.

London Councils is warning the "crisis is increasingly unmanageable" due to rising living costs and lack of permanent housing.

Researchers also found a big rise in the number of London families who were placed in unsuitable B&B accommodation for more than the six-week limit councils are legally allowed to place them there for.

In the year to April 2023, this figure rose 782%, from 146 to 1,287.

The overall figure for the number of families placed in B&Bs after losing their homes more than doubled between April 2022 and April 2023 - up from 1,543 to 3,242.

London Councils, which represents 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation, surveyed all London local authorities for their latest homelessness data, taken in March this year, and received responses from 28 boroughs.

The organisation said it estimated figures for the remaining four boroughs by applying the average year-on-year increase from the responses received to the official homelessness statistics from March 2022.

Darren Rodwell, London Councils' executive member for regeneration, housing and planning, said: "This is the latest evidence of the homelessness disaster unfolding in the capital.

"One in 50 Londoners homeless and living in temporary accommodation is an appalling statistic."

He said the group was "especially concerned by the skyrocketing numbers of families stuck in B&Bs", but "more and more often boroughs face a total lack of other options for keeping a roof over these families' heads".

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "We are giving councils across London £350m through the homelessness prevention grant, this can be used to help people find new homes and out of temporary accommodation.

"We recognise that times are tough for many families, but in addition to wider support we are also funding specialist teams across the country to provide bespoke support to councils.

"This will help to end the placement of families in temporary accommodation for long periods and includes advice on managing homelessness pressures and eliminating the use of B&Bs."

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]