[Diggers350] Joseph Rowntree F responds to record number of rough sleepers and families living in temporary accommodation

[Tony Gosling]

>Reply-To: "Naomi Southwell (JRF)" <naomi.southwell at jrf.org.uk>
>
>
>
>JRF responds to record number of rough sleepers 
>and families living in temporary accommodation
>
>
>
>
>26 February 2026
>
>For immediate release
>    * 
> <https://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=qs0iTlumGQG72R9XbAxnH-Fp4dk-2DW3qGCF1l2soWhyfvftpqySt_9nFdbTNWjUYaCqYeO8CMJGrCWZSJYhIimZAfQazVWYFR9F7HyBmTWPb0j81DG4uQuq7Vhw-U_Zk0iPheCUd06wT8Metb_ZEgHIzDN3U8s9OlfI1VnpzuCG0J9r_S_v7LPQFphwFdMbpRCFBNReSYR7NumybitHtxyc_5vqV2DBrW7NwBq57jwg_QMYJeaBbyGfo5VLa5-9VYzUDxlBE8_ncwaow9LOZCS4xIGsVeH908ojjPopuPB4ujFQaXmX2iy7QSki-9Hbsw2>New 
> data shows that in autumn 2025 134,760 
> households including 175,990 children were 
> living in temporary accommodation, the highest numbers on record.
>    * This includes 2,880 households with 
> children living in living in bed and breakfast 
> hotels, with more than half of these households 
> with children (1,670) living in bed and 
> breakfast hotels for more than 6 weeks.
>    * 
> <https://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=OlmrrBi41r7W1Jy3rHdVhS4prjfU0fKS-02iVyUwMbriaGGz0Y_1mgcj5oxlwdj_QMPOwH3UpqZ3rIGOPHL01BZoNHdhhilvI3BnohJBUySnvTRpe2p9oDTO2ZVwYONiZkqpQlcSvfswkBnFQpx2OYwFjXQ38NLiKIQBmSqYlZ8p4QhZwnwF-y3ssZDQKcCsm-a9SrvHulCPX53C5E2i0I-Cni71GqpZmeMbdpZ70nqvY8mK-3rJhf2WZduxaxVeANc7v3j9r2cxr8moedT4MYI1>New 
> statistics also estimate there were 4,793 
> people sleeping rough on a single night in 
> autumn 2025, the highest number on record. When 
> Labour left Government in 2010 there were an 
> estimated 1,768 people sleeping rough in England.
>    * Families are trapped paying unaffordable 
> private rents, a leading cause of homelessness. 
> The average private rent in the UK is £1,370 - 
> a third higher than their pre-pandemic level.
>
>Joseph Elliott, Lead Analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, says:
>
>“When we fail to make sure we all have a 
>decent home that we can afford, we’re failing 
>in our most basic responsibility to protect 
>people’s dignity. It’s appalling that the 
>number of children growing up in temporary 
>accommodation and the number of people sleeping 
>rough have reached record highs.
>
>“Homelessness and rough sleeping aren’t 
>inevitable, but they will continue if private 
>renters remain trapped paying unaffordable rents 
>and we fail to build enough social homes. 
>Exorbitant rents keep families mired in 
>financial instability and uncertainty, with the 
>threat of homelessness hanging over their heads. 
>Every family deserves a decent, affordable home. 
>No one should have to face the fear of losing 
>their home and the profound impact it has on 
>their wellbeing, safety, relationships, and ability to work.
>
>“The Renters Rights Act gives private renters 
>vital protection against no fault evictions. But 
>we need the government to tackle the problem of 
>unaffordable private rents head on if we’re to 
>see the number of families facing homelessness fall.”
>
>Notes to Editor
>    * At the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, we work 
> to speed up and support the transition to a 
> future free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish.
>    * Contact us at 
> <mailto:pressoffice at jrf.org.uk>pressoffice at jrf.org.uk or call 01904 615 958
>    * Follow us on 
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>
>
>Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), The Homestead, 
>York, YO30 6WP, United Kingdom
>[]
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