Families in Temporary Housing Report Children Developing Health Problems Due to Dangerous Living Conditions

Families in Temporary Housing Report Children Developing Health Problems Due to Dangerous Living Conditions

Around 135,000 families, comprising nearly 176,000 children across England, are currently residing in temporary accommodation—marking the highest figure on record. Many of these households are occupying properties deemed unsuitable for habitation, according to findings from a cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee investigation.

Parents have come forward describing how substandard living situations are directly harming their children's physical and mental wellbeing.

Cramped Conditions Take Toll on Young Children

Nestere Yehdego, 31, lives with his wife and two daughters—aged four and one—in a one-bedroom flat in Slough following relocation from east London by Newham Council two years ago. The overcrowded accommodation has created significant challenges for the family.

"My first child can't sleep well, as the younger one normally wakes her up three or four times a night by crying or making noise. She is going to school next year and I'm worried because if she doesn't sleep enough she will be tired," Yehdego explained.

The property has experienced persistent mould and damp problems, which Yehdego attributes to skin conditions affecting his infant daughter. "The younger one has some kind of allergy, a rash on her face and she scratches and scratches. When I went to the GP he asked me whether we kept any pets and when I said no, they said it [the rash] was coming from the house," he stated.

Child Develops Serious Health Complications

Alicia Samuels, 40, became homeless while pregnant in 2019 and has lived in five temporary properties since then. Her six-year-old son Aeon, who has never had a permanent home, has developed serious hearing problems and sleep apnoea that she attributes to their one-bedroom flat in Tower Hamlets, east London.

The property was recently infested with mice and covered in mould. "He ended up temporarily deaf in one ear because of the mould and the damp and the drafts," Samuels said. "It's affected him a lot, he's going to these hospital and doctor's appointments and a lot of it's based on our living situation. He wasn't born with these conditions."

Samuels described horrifying conditions in her kitchen: "There were mice in the kitchen where we eat and cook, and I would see them run across my kitchen counters. I found a dead one in my bathroom, one under my sofa, under my fridge. My mental health declined a lot, because I didn't feel safe." A pest control team has since been deployed to address the infestation.

Her temporary housing journey also included placement in an attic studio above an old pub, which a visiting council officer assessed as unsuitable in less than two minutes—a decision that came after she had undergone a C-section and struggled to transport her infant up narrow outside stairs.

Policy Response and Legal Framework

The housing committee has called for Awaab's Law to be fully applied to temporary accommodation. This legislation, enacted in 2025 following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from respiratory illness caused by mould exposure, requires social landlords including councils and housing associations to address urgent hazards within 24 hours and significant damp and mould issues promptly.

The committee also recommended updating overcrowding laws and mandating councils to conduct inspections ensuring properties are hazard-free and meet decent standards.

Deaths Linked to Temporary Accommodation

A separate investigation has identified that temporary accommodation conditions contributed to the deaths of at least 104 children in England between 2019 and 2025. Of these:

• 76 were under one year old
• 19 were living in hostels, hotels, or bed-and-breakfast accommodation
• Nearly one in four were London residents
• Approximately four in ten were from ethnic minority backgrounds

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation stated that poverty, deprivation, and racial inequalities were primary contributing factors.

Official Responses and Calls for Action

A Newham Council spokesperson acknowledged: "Like many parts of London, Newham is facing an unprecedented housing crisis where the demand far outweighs the number of available properties." The council stated that safety and wellbeing remain priorities and pledged to investigate reported issues.

Tower Hamlets Council claimed to have inspected Samuels' current property and found no justification for relocation, noting that London remains at the centre of the national homelessness crisis.

Sarah Elliott, chief executive of Shelter, directly linked temporary accommodation problems to insufficient permanent affordable housing. She urged the government to support councils in delivering 90,000 social rent homes annually over the next decade.

"Record numbers of children are homeless in England today because successive governments have failed to build the social rent homes these families have been crying out for," Elliott stated. "Every day our services hear from families who are stuck in grotty hostels and one-room B&Bs, where mould climbs the walls and children are boxed into tiny spaces with no privacy or room to play."

Dr Laura Neilson, chief executive of the Shared Health Foundation, emphasised that child deaths were "not inevitable" but resulted from "a housing crisis that is pushing families into conditions that endangers their lives."

Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern responded: "It breaks my heart that B&Bs are tragically contributing to the deaths of children." She referenced government strategies aimed at eradicating unsuitable accommodation and ensuring children access adequate healthcare.