In hotels, hostels and unsafe accommodation, tragedy keeps following tragedy
Dozens of young, homeless children are losing their lives every year - and the tragedy appears to be getting worse.
Calls are growing for tighter measures to drive up standards in temporary accommodation. It comes as new figures show 80 children died while living in temporary accommodation across England between October 1, 2023, and September 30 last year - representing three per cent of all child deaths in the same period.
Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of Oldham-based Shared Health Foundation, told the Manchester Evening News: "There is no reason why children should be dying in temporary accommodation more than children living in settled accommodation. This is preventable and it's really fixable."
Amid the recent cost of living crisis, the number of homeless families in temporary accommodation has increased. Rising rents, evictions, an increase in domestic violence and unstable relationships, and a housing shortage which is at crisis point are all contributing to the problem, Dr Neilson says.
The figures, obtained by the National Child Mortality Database, have been described by the Shared Health Foundation as 'disproportionate and significant'. They also show that from 2019 to 2024, there were 74 children who died unexpectedly, with temporary accommodation found to have contributed to their deaths.
Of that figure, 58 children were under the age of one. Previously, 55 children were reported to have died in those circumstances from 2019 to 2023.
'We know that the more instability you have in children's lives, the more likely they are to die, particularly if they are under one," said Dr Neilson. Having a settled routine, access to a cot, and safe, clean facilities - including kitchens - all benefit young children.
But for many homeless families, they are luxuries which they have no access to in temporary accommodation. The process of frequently moving accommodation, and changing GP, can also be overwhelming for pregnant women and new mums. Temporary accommodation can also often be unsafe, cold and riddled with damp.
Dr Neilson added: "I've had three children. My pregnancies were thankfully quite straightforward, but it was quite overwhelming. I can't imagine doing that and repeatedly moving house, and moving doctors, and moving hospitals. That's really difficult.'
Of the 74 children who had temporary accommodation attributed to their deaths - 11 were known to be staying in B&Bs, hotels and hostels. Chloe Wild, 23, became homeless while pregnant with her daughter Evie.
After living with family and sofa-surfing from August to October last year, she was moved to a hostel in Harpurhey, then to Openshaw, and now lives in an Oldham hotel with her baby. The young mum waits 'every day' for the phone to ring, in case she's on the move yet again.
"It's extra stress that you don't need," she told the M.E.N. "It's the physical exhaustion, but it's the mental exhaustion that gets you more, because it's being in that situation.
"You sort of feel like, the more you get to the end of your pregnancy, am I letting my baby down for being in that situation - for not having a house? For not being in a stable environment?
'I felt bad because I thought I'm going to have to bring a child into the world, I've not got a stable environment for her to be in. And God knows when they're gonna move me next.'
Chloe is constantly mindful of keeping her baby safe, and only one previous hostel had adequate cooking facilities. 'You never really know the cleanliness of everything," she added.
"I buy anti-bac and I've got my own cloths and sprays, I'm having to clean everything I physically can when I get into a new place because I don't know how well it has been cleaned. She's a newborn, she can catch anything, it can make her really poorly and it could potentially kill her. I spray everything all the time."
The new figures, released today (January 28) by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Temporary Accommodation, are only available because the Shared Health Foundation and National Child Mortality Database worked to update the Child Death Overview Panel questions to include temporary accommodation. Dr Neilson feels the figures could still be an underestimate.
She is urging Government to tighten regulation on standards. 'I don't mind which piece of legislation it's in. It just needs to be regulated," Dr Neilson said.
Guidance issued to councils states temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for families with children under two years old. The government says it plans to consult on how Awaab's Law - secured for social housing following an M.E.N. campaign - could apply to temporary accommodation, while the Decent Homes Standard should be extended to temporary accommodation as part of the Renters' Rights Bill.
Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP, chair of the APPG for Temporary Accommodation, insists new regulation cannot come soon enough. "Seventy-four children have died in five years with temporary accommodation contributing to their death," she said.
"That is more than one every month. How shocking is that? In the fifth largest economy in the world.
"Last year, the APPG I chair was successful in getting the Homelessness Code of Guidance changed to include cots for homeless families. This guidance needs to be made law to ensure that deaths in temporary accommodation is zero."
The government says it is committing almost £1 billion on homelessness prevention, while tenants should be protected by the abolition of 'no-fault evictions' in the Renters' Rights Bill. Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots have also been launched in 20 areas to move families out of B&Bs and into more suitable accommodation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: 'These truly shocking findings break my heart. No family should ever have to endure such a tragic loss of life and be failed by the very system there to protect them.
'No child should be forced to grow up in unsafe and frankly appalling conditions and that is why we are taking urgent action to right the wrongs of the past. We will fix the current system that has left far too many families trapped in temporary accommodation with no end in sight and end homelessness for good by tackling the root causes and driving up housing standards.
'This year alone we are providing the largest-ever cash boost in homelessness prevention services, with nearly £1 billion for councils, to stop families becoming homeless in the first place and provide them with safe, secure and stable housing so they can rebuild their lives. This is part of our long-term plan to turn the tide and end homelessness once and for all.'
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