Hundreds of Black Country children without permanent home

Across England, more than 123,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, a situation described by housing charity Shelter as a "national emergency".

In Wolverhampton, a total of 38 households - with 102 children altogether - were in temporary accommodation at the end of June this year, figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show.

The figure is, however, lower than the 70 at the end of June 2017. Altogether, it meant 102 children in Wolverhampton were living without a permanent home at the end of June.

The figure was higher in Walsall, as during the same time period a total of 120 households were in bed and breakfasts or other temporary accommodation - again with 102 children living without a permanent home.

This was less than the 127 households of last year.

And in Dudley figures show a total of 11 households - 17 children - were facing the same fate at the end of June, slightly higher than the six at the same time last year.

Across England, the number of households living in temporary accommodation in England has risen by five per cent in a year, including 123,630 children.

'Tragedy'

Charity Shelter said the number of homeless children in temporary accommodation was 3,000 higher than last year and the highest in 11 years.

The charity's campaign director Greg Beales said: "The fact that more than 123,000 children in England will be forced to wake up homeless this Christmas is a tragedy.

"This is now a national emergency. Every day we hear horror stories about homeless families faced with dirty, cold and even rat-infested hostels.

"Whole families forced to share one room and even beds, and children too scared to leave their block to use the communal bathrooms during the night."

Terrie Alafat, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: "These figures reveal the stark reality of the homelessness crisis we are facing in this country - the fact that more than 120,000 children were living in temporary accommodation in June 2018 is quite simply a national disgrace."

The figures, covering April to June this year, are the first to be released since the new Homelessness Reduction Act come into force in April which aims to get local councils to do more to help people without a home.

In Wolverhampton, the number of households in temporary accommodation with shared facilities – hostels including women's refuges – was seven, or 18 per cent of the total.

In Walsall it was 10 - or per cent of the total. Of these, five were in bed and breakfasts.

Housing minister Heather Wheeler said: "Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live.

"It is good to see our Homelessness Reduction Act making a real difference but we know we need to do more.

"That is why we are investing £1.2 billion to tackle all forms of homelessness, we are putting £9 billion into our affordable housing programme and we are also empowering councils to borrow to build more council homes to ensure that more people have a home of their own."

The figures do not cover rough sleeping.