Generation 'blighted by homelessness' - Oxford children without a permanent home

A housing charity has said a generation of young people have had their lives "blighted by homelessness", with campaigners calling for long-promised rental reforms to be strengthened.

Last year saw a rise in the number of children living in temporary accommodation in Oxford, according to new figures.

Statistics from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) show a record number of homeless children living in short-term accommodation across England.

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Data shows there were 175 children living in temporary accommodation in Oxford as of the end of 2023.

These include short-term private rental properties, as well as hostels and bed and breakfasts.

This was a rise on the same point a year earlier when there were 96 children in temporary accommodation.

Across England there were 145,800 children in temporary accommodation at the end of 2023, up by a fifth from when records began 20 years ago, and a 15 per cent rise from the year before, when there were 126,340.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said the Government could not "stand idly by while a generation of children have their lives blighted by homelessness".

"Decades of failure to build enough genuinely affordable social homes has left families struggling to cobble together extortionate sums every month to keep a roof over their heads," she said.

Political parties must commit to "ending the housing emergency", she added, urging them all to pledge to build 90,000 social homes a year for 10 years, as well as to overhaul the Renters (Reform) Bill.

In total, 194 households were living in temporary accommodation in Oxford, 91 of them with dependent children.

This was the up from the year before when 106 households were living in temporary accommodation.

Of those with children, 70 were living in local authority or housing association stock, while 21 were in bed and breakfasts.

Tom Darling, campaign manager at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said it was "maddening to watch the Government’s approach to the Renters (Reform) Bill, one of the key levers at its disposal to tackle this crisis".

"Neglected, dropped, picked back up again, delayed, deprioritised, and – finally – gutted of key provisions by a group of pro-landlord MPs," he said.

He argued the bill in its current form needs significant changes, saying it “needs major surgery in the Lords” to tackle the problem.

A DLUHC spokesperson said councils are being supported with £1.2 billion to give help to those who need it, and local housing allowance has been boosted to help towards rental costs.

They said temporary accommodation was "a vital safety net to make sure families are not left without a roof over their heads".

They added that councils must "make sure it is suitable for families who have a right to appeal if it’s not".