Number of households in temporary accommodation approached 100,000 at end of first three full months of coronavirus pandemic, up more than six per cent on March 2020 figure

MHCLG reports that increase in England was largely driven by single adult households needing accommodation and the COVID-19 ‘Everyone in’ scheme

The number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of June 2020 was more than 98,000, an increase of more than six per cent compared to the figure at the end of March, new homelessness statistics have shown.

In Statutory Homelessness, April to June (Q2) 2020: England, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provides information on local authority activities under their statutory homelessness duties in the period corresponding to the first three full months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Noting that on 30 June 2020 the total number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation was 98,300, MHCLG reports that this had increased by 14 per cent from 86,240 on 30 June 2019, and 6.6 per cent from 92,190 on 31 March 2020, largely as a result of an increase in single adult households and th inclusion of those placed in emergency accommodation under the ‘Everyone In’ scheme.

However, MHCLG also advises that the figures may be subject to underreporting, as they do not include all those provided with accommodation during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic -

‘… many of these households will not have been included because they were not eligible for homelessness assistance, and were accommodated outside Housing Act 1996 duties. In addition, some households may have stated that they did not want to make an application for assistance; and for those that did make an application, there has been some delay in processing applications in the context of competing priorities.’

In relation to other local authority homelessness activities and duties for the quarter to the end of June 2020, the statistics include that -

• 63,570 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness and owed a statutory homelessness duty, down 10.5 per cent from April to June 2019;
• 25,520 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness, and therefore owed a prevention duty, down 32.1 per cent from the same quarter last year and linked to a 68.7 per cent decrease in Section 21 notices to end an assured shorthold tenancy;
• 38,040 households were initially assessed as homeless and therefore owed a relief duty, up 13.9 per cent from the same quarter last year, driven mainly by single males; and
• 4,960 households had their main homelessness duty come to an end in April to June 2020, down 37.4 per cent from April to June 2019.

Reflecting on the potential impact of measures introduced in response to COVID-19 on these figures, MHCLG notes that in addition to the effect of the Everyone In scheme, the ban on private rented sector evictions and lengthened notice periods for landlords will have reduced numbers made homeless due to loss of tenancy and may have led to a reduction in the supply of move on properties.

NB - MHCLG has also today published statistics relating to local authority-level statutory homelessness activities: April to June 2020 and reasons for loss of accommodation for 6 to 24-year-olds who were owed a prevention or relief homelessness duty in 2019/2020.

For more information, see Statutory homelessness in England: April to June 2020 from gov.uk