Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of families with children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midland and (c) England in (i) each of the last two years and (ii) the latest month for which information is available.

The most recent data for families with children in temporary accommodation was published in May 2019 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness

Time spent in temporary accommodation can mean people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.

The Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012 helps prevent the use of temporary accommodation long distances from the family’s previous home and community. Homeless households also have legal rights to request a review of a decision to place them in unsuitable accommodation.

In 2011, the law was changed to allow councils to place homeless families in decent and affordable private rented homes as well as social rented homes. This now means homeless households should not have to wait as long for settled accommodation.

The Government has targeted funding streams focused on reducing the number of households in Temporary Accommodation. For example we have recently launched the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Access Fund which will fund schemes that will support families who are or at risk of homelessness, supporting them to sustain and access PRS accommodation.