The number of homeless children in England could fill Wembley Stadium twice: 'A clear failure'

The number of children who are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation in England is at the highest level since records began as the country’s spiralling housing crisis has left more people than ever without a home.

New statutory homelessness statistics for October to December 2025 found 176,130 dependent children were living in temporary accommodation.

That’s almost equivalent to filling Wembley Stadium two times over and more than the population of Oxford or York.

Households with children living in temporary accommodation is up by 0.1% since July to September 2025 and 5.9% since 31 December 2024.

Almost two-thirds of the 134,210 households in temporary accommodation in England now include dependent children.

The total number of households in temporary accommodation for October to December 2025 has dropped slightly below the record levels seen in the last quarter, but still remains higher than the same time the previous year.

Government statisticians explained that “while this shift is small, this is the first quarter that the number of households in temporary accommodation has fallen since 2022.”

Responding to the statistics, homelessness minister Alison McGovern said: “While today’s figures show progress being made, with fewer families becoming homeless and a sharp reduction in children in B&B accommodation, there is still much to do to break the heartbreaking cycle of homelessness and bring down the unacceptable number of children in temporary accommodation. 

“We are taking action with a homelessness strategy focused on tackling homelessness for good – backed by a record £3.6 billion to eliminate unlawful use of B&Bs for families, improve the quality of temporary accommodation and cut long term rough sleeping, so that everyone gets the secure home that they deserve.”

Read more:

• ‘It’s deeply upsetting’: 80 homeless children have died in temporary accommodation in just one year
• Government told to fix broken temporary accommodation system as homelessness crisis set to worsen
• ‘The most vile place I’ve ever seen’: Families stuck in ‘uninhabitable’ temporary housing

Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint explained that too many young people are “trapped in limbo” while living in temporary accommodation.

“The increasing reliance on temporary accommodation cannot continue,” Dr Lisa Doyle, head of policy and public affairs at Centrepoint, told the Big Issue. “It is meant to be a short-term solution, however, the young households who are forced to live in it for years face the risk of repeated homelessness, poor mental health, and long-term disadvantage increases.”

“Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet here. The government is doing the right thing by making commitments to reducing the use of temporary accommodation as well as its focus on prevention and support – but it’s increasing the level of housebuilding, including the building of suitable one bedroom social homes, that will transform things for young people,” Doyle added.

“Without that, too many young people will continue facing homelessness and excluded from stable housing and the opportunity to move forward with their lives.”

It’s a crisis that is hitting London particularly hard. There are 21 households living in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households in London, compared with 2.8 households per 1,000 in the rest of England. 

Housing costs in London are significantly higher than the rest of the UK and continue to rise. In the private rented sector, the average rent now accounts more than for 40% of household income.

As a result, child poverty rates in London almost double once housing costs are taken into account, rising from 16% before housing costs to 31% after, a much larger increase than in any other region.

Alex Firth, advocacy officer at charity Just Fair, told the Big Issue: “These figures show a clear failure to protect children’s rights. Every child has the right to a safe, secure home, but across the UK that right is being denied on a huge scale. Housing is not a privilege, it is a human right recognised in international law. When that right is not protected, it affects everything: children’s health, education, stability and sense of security.”

Firth added: “Local authorities are on the frontline, but they need the powers, funding and national leadership to act. These elections are a moment for accountability. People should be asking: will those seeking election commit to making the right to housing real in our communities? After years of rising homelessness, we need more than short-term fixes. We need a rights-based approach that guarantees everyone a safe and secure place to live.”

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, called for leaders to “prioritise prevention and break the cycle of homelessness” to turn things around.

Henderson added that the national Plan to End Homelessness must be put into action, “with local authorities rising to the challenge using the new responsibilities and opportunities given to them”.

“It is also critical that all government departments are made to take responsibility for ensuring their policies do not unintentionally push people into homelessness,” he said. “The social security system and proposed Home Office immigration policies are of particular concern and must be addressed urgently if we are to end homelessness for good.”

The official homelessness statistics did, however, show a fall in the number of households approaching councils for support with homelessness.

A total of 84,250 households had an initial homelessness assessment from a local authority over the three-month period, down 1.3% on October to December 2024. From these initial assessments, 76,270 were assessed as owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness.

There were aalso 33,630 households assessed as at risk of falling into homelessness, down 3.1% from the same quarter last year.

But the continued homelessness crisis is having a big impact on families in particular. The latest figures found that the most common length of time for households with children to have spent in temporary accommodation is two to five years.

That’s 21,260 households and a quarter of families in temporary accommodation. Of these, 35.9% were in nightly paid accommodation.

Temporary accommodation is a ‘sticking plaster solution’

Experts have explained that council spending on temporary accommodation is continuing to soar, with the cost of placing households in temporary accommodation reaching £2.8 billion in 2024 – but this is a “sticking plaster” solution to the homelessness crisis.

John Bird, Big Issue founder and crossbench peer, said: “The government’s investment in homelessness is beginning to turn the tide. While it’s good to see numbers starting to fall, we must be wary of becoming over-reliant on the sticking plaster solution of temporary accommodation. More than 85,000 families across the UK are trapped in this limbo, with instability shaping thousands of young lives and limiting their long-term opportunities.

“Our councils are spending up to 60% of their so-called homelessness prevention grants on temporary accommodation. I fear ‘homelessness prevention’ is becoming a buzzword, a false promise by politicians with no new ideas. We need to invest resources in encouraging radical, innovative, challenging ideas that change the landscape of homelessness, like the Big Issue did 35 years ago.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – and always take the magazine. It’s how vendors earn with dignity and move forward.

You can also support online: Subscribe to the magazine or support our work with a monthly gift. Your support helps vendors earn, learn and thrive while strengthening our frontline services.