News

The Office of Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is to revise its Homeless Code of Guidance to include higher standards for housing homeless families in temporary accommodation, writes Shirley Kumar.

The revised code will act as best practice and provide guidance to ensure that homeless households receive support for health, education and welfare needs.

First published in July 2002, it will now take into account the outlawing of B&Bs accommodation for families with children for more than six weeks, from April 1 2004.

At present the ODPM does not stipulate what type of accommodation councils must use to re-house families with children.

The move follows the launch of the Living in Limbo report from homeless charity Shelter. The report shows temporary accommodation in England was having a “devastating impact” on children’s health, education and job opportunities.

It found that two thirds of the 417 families surveyed said their children had problems at school with the average child missing 55 days a year due to the disruptions of moves into and between temporary accommodations.

Nearly half described their children as “often unhappy or depressed”. Only a fifth of families with children younger than four years old were accessing Sure Start.


The charity wants the Government to improve temporary housing and “make investment in decent affordable housing a top priority” in the upcoming Spending Review in July.

Shelter spokeswoman said, “Families with four children may be kept in a one bedroom flats or in hard to rent council stock or private accommodation that is damp and in bad condition. Others may be moved many times due to private landlord leases expiring.”