What needs to change for people living in temporary accommodation

National strategies to end homelessness tend to focus exclusively on rough sleeping, without acknowledging temporary accommodation as part of the picture of homelessness in the UK. Current initiatives suggest that short-term housing solutions, like temporary accommodation, will continue to be used in the long term, to the detriment of people living here. Unless temporary accommodation is acknowledged, accepted and addressed as part of homelessness, people who are placed here will remain hidden and stuck.

Introduce national minimum standards for temporary accommodation and enforce them through a national temporary accommodation regulator with sufficient powers to meaningfully intervene when standards are not met. Minimum standards should include:

- WiFi
- Clean bedding and mattresses
- Working cooking and laundry facilities
- Disability adaptations such as handrails, door-openers, and regular upkeep of lifts
- Safe sleeping equipment (cots, moses baskets, baby gates)
- Adequate space for children to learn and play

Additional standards outlined in the APPG report.

The lack of control people who are homeless feel over their lives is a consistent theme in our research (Hidden Homelessness Exposed, 2021) that impacts people’s mental health. Participants in our research who were given a role in their accommodation were noticeably more resilient, highlighting the importance of ownership and agency in their lives. Where possible, residents should be involved in decision-making as equals.

Homeless households are likely to struggle with poor mental health when living in temporary accommodation. In addition to greater access to mental health services, the creation of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC) are good practices which should be developed and adapted across organisations to improve support provision (Homeless Link, 2017).