MPs have urged the government to take urgent action on the temporary accommodation crisis, following data showing that 104 children died with such housing as a contributing factor between April 2019 and March 2025. The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Households in Temporary Accommodation described the figures as “absolutely scandalous”.
The report, published on Wednesday, drew on data from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD). It also noted that between October 2023 and September 2025, 140 children whose main residence was temporary accommodation had died, with assessments ongoing to determine if living conditions contributed.
The number of children in temporary accommodation in England reached 175,990 at the end of September 2024, a 7% rise year-on-year. APPG chairwoman Dame Siobhain McDonagh said she was “appalled” by the trend, while a separate report from the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee warned conditions are “often so poor as to be unfit for human habitation”.
The HCLG Committee, led by Florence Eshalomi, urged the government to strengthen protections, phase out unsuitable options like shared facilities, and plan for long-term supply of quality temporary housing. Homelessness minister Alison McGovern acknowledged the tragedy, stating “we must and we are improving the whole system”.
Shelter called it a “national scandal”, blaming a lack of affordable social homes. The government’s child poverty strategy, published in December, pledged to end unlawful placements in bed and breakfasts beyond six weeks and continue an £8 million pilot across 20 local authorities.
