Ahead of local elections in May, the Better Temporary Accommodation alliance is calling on London election candidates to guarantee basic living standards in temporary accommodation. The call comes as new figures show the crisis is intensifying in almost every borough.
As part of its Fix the Five Basics campaign, the alliance has released a video shining a light on the reality of life in temporary accommodation. The video calls on candidates in London's borough elections to pledge basic standards for everyone placed there.
This vital push for action is gaining momentum at a time when new London's Poverty Profile figures show the crisis is getting worse in almost every part of the capital.
Now is the time to Fix the Five Basics
With more and more families trapped in temporary accommodation for months and often years, many are living in conditions that lack the most basic necessities.
Ending the crisis requires much more social and affordable housing and will take many years. In the meantime, families are preparing meals with only a kettle because there are no cooking facilities. Children cannot complete homework without Wi-Fi. Households are falling into debt to store their belongings. Many have no clear information about their rights or when they will be moved on.
The video, made with people who have lived in temporary accommodation across London, highlights the daily reality of going without essentials that most of us take for granted. Alongside the video there’s a simple tool that people can use to email their local candidates in two minutes.
London's worsening crisis in numbers
Newly published figures from London’s Poverty Profile show that three quarters of London boroughs (24 out of 32) have seen an increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation year-on-year.
Overall, 76,000 households are in temporary accommodation across London - up 10% in just a year. Two thirds of these households include children.
In Newham, the equivalent of 6% of all households are now in temporary accommodation – the highest rate in the country and more than ten times the England average. Westminster (3.4%), Lambeth (3.2%), Southwark (3.0%) and Hackney (2.8%) also have rates far above the national figure.
The figures lay bare the scale of the temporary accommodation crisis just weeks ahead of borough elections.
Albinia Stanley, coordinator of the campaign, said:
"Families in temporary accommodation are living without the basics the rest of us take for granted. Cooking facilities, laundry, Wi-Fi, storage, clear information: these are not big asks.
“Some London councils have already started delivering them. We're calling on every candidate standing in May's elections to pledge to fix the five basics in their borough. This is a chance to make a real difference."
Susie Dye, housing lead at Trust for London, said:
"With 76,000 households in temporary accommodation across London, including tens of thousands of children, the scale of the homelessness crisis demands both immediate action and long-term solutions.
"Temporary accommodation should be exactly that: temporary. Until we get there, no family should be placed somewhere without a kitchen, without Wi-Fi, or without clear information about their situation. These are things everyone should be able to rely on, not aspirations."
Faith*, mother of two and temporary accommodation resident since 2022, said: “Many people like me are raising their children without these basics for months or even years.
“Without these basics it’s hard to survive, let alone rebuild your life and get back on your feet.
“But it doesn’t have to be these way. We’re calling on councils to ensure that every household in temporary accommodation has the Five Basics."
*Name changed to protect anonymity
Samuel Thomas, senior policy adviser at anti-poverty charity Z2K, said:
“Tackling London’s temporary accommodation crisis has never been more urgent, with our advisers supporting increasing numbers of families trapped without access to the essentials we all need to get by.
"Z2K’s research suggests that when people are denied the Five Basics, their health worsens, their costs soar, and their chances of moving on from homelessness decline.
"That’s why we’re calling on all London local election candidates to match the commitments made in boroughs like Westminster and commit to fixing the Five Basics, so that stays in temporary accommodation are as safe, stable and short as possible.”