Urgent Housing Crisis Threatens 170,000 Children

A devastating housing crisis is creating a "generation of homeless children" in the UK, with a Labour MP urgently calling for the immediate construction of prefabricated (prefab) homes as a short-term emergency solution. Dame Siobhain McDonagh, MP for Mitcham and Morden, has described the situation as "devastating," citing research that links the conditions in temporary accommodation to the deaths of at least 74 children since 2019.

The Actual Situation: Record Homelessness and Health Risks

The number of households in temporary accommodation in England has soared to its highest figure since records began in 1998. Government statistics reveal 131,140 households were housed temporarily at the end of March, including a staggering 169,050 children. This represents an 11.8% increase on the previous year.

The issue stems from a national housing shortage—estimated at 4.3 million houses—which has led to families being placed in unsuitable, often dangerous, temporary housing.

Child Safety and Health: Key factors harming children in these accommodations include the lack of safe sleeping spaces, with many parents and siblings forced to share beds, and inconsistent provision of cots for infants. Moreover, chronic issues like damp and mould growth exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Developmental Harm: Lack of access to a proper kitchen pushes families toward expensive, less healthy takeaway food, contributing to obesity. The confined, small spaces also hinder basic child development, such as learning to walk.

Educational Disruption: Councils, struggling with immense costs, are placing homeless families vast distances away—sometimes as far as Scotland or Wales from the South-East—severely disrupting children's education.

The Real Solution: Prefabs, Social Housing, and Rental Reform

The solution requires a two-pronged attack on supply and demand:

1. Short-Term Supply: Build Low-Cost Prefab Homes:

Ms. McDonagh is advocating for a national mission to build prefab homes as a rapid, short-term measure to provide immediate, suitable accommodation. This is seen as a way the government can create low-cost, quality homes quickly.

Why Prefabs? Prefabricated structures can be built faster and on smaller plots of land than traditional housing. As demonstrated by the post-WWII prefabs, which "outlived their life expectancy," they can provide high-quality, fully equipped temporary housing, immediately improving conditions and easing the catastrophic financial burden currently "killing councils" due to rising temporary accommodation costs.

2. Long-Term Supply: Massively Increase Social Housing:

The real, long-term solution remains building significantly more social housing. While the government aims to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament, a fall in planning permissions casts doubt on its ability to meet the target for permanent, affordable homes. A substantial 39 billion investment is pledged for social and affordable homes, but delivery is crucial.

3. Curbing Demand: Urgently Ban No-Fault Evictions:

A major driver of new homelessness is the no-fault eviction (Section 21), which charity Shelter estimates has affected 32,000 families seeking assistance since the last election. Labour's renters’ rights bill, promising to ban the practice, must be urgently processed. Experts warn that delays in making the bill law could lead to thousands more households being repossessed by bailiffs, further swelling the ranks of the homeless.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated it is investing £1 billion in homelessness services and is committed to banning Section 21 evictions and building more homes to provide families with housing security.