A charity claims new homelessness figures show the need for Labour’s controversial Renters Rights Bill.

Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows that the number of households facing homelessness has exceeded 320,000 between 2023-2024, the highest on record. 

This is an 8% rise on last year and means that more than the population of Nottingham are now homeless in England.   

The charity Crisis claims that the statistics also show the ending of a private tenancy continues to be one of the leading causes of homelessness with 79,500 seeking help from their council because their assured short hold tenancy has come to an end. 

This includes 26,150 households having been served a s21 ‘no fault eviction’ demonstrating – so the charity says – the urgent need for the Renters Rights Bill to progress through parliament quickly.  

The number of households forced to live in temporary accommodation remains at record levels with 117,450 households being placed in this form of accommodation by their council, a 12.3% rise on last year.  

As of 31 March 2024, a fifth of all households with children in temporary accommodation (22.5%) had been there for five years or more. There are now 151,630 children living in temporary accommodation, which is enough to fill 5,700 classrooms. 

Homelessness charity Crisis is calling on the new government to commit to building 90,000 social homes every year so it can start to deliver on its aspirations to tackle homelessness and end the damage it does to people’s lives. 

A spokesperson says: “We cannot delay any longer. In the short term we need to see local councils given adequate funding at the upcoming budget so that they can properly support people who have nowhere to go. But to truly build a stable future for this country, the new government must commit to delivering 90,000 social homes every year and provide the critical investment needed to make this happen. Only then can people who have lost their home begin to rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind for good. They cannot wait any longer.” 

The Renters Reform Bill is expected to receive its second reading in the House of Commons this week.