Number of households in homeless accommodation up by nearly 20%
New statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have revealed how many households in Reading are living in temporary accommodation.
Temporary accommodation in this context is provided by the local authority for a limited time for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
It is a short-term solution while permanent housing is sort and is itself classed as a form of homelessness.
Newly published data for the first quarter of 2025 reveals that the number of households staying in temporary accommodation in Reading because they are homeless or at risk of homelessness has gone up by nearly 20 per cent.
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At the end of March, 402 households in Reading were using temporary accommodation, up from 341 at the same time last year.
That means an additional 61 households have qualified for temporary accommodation already this year, representing an increase of 18 per cent compared to the 2024 figure.
Of the 402 households, 299 are with children - a whopping 74 per cent.
This again is an increase on last year, when 224 out of the 341 households were with children, or 66 per cent.
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An additional 75 households with children are in temporary accommodation compared to the same time last year, an increase of 33% on the 2024 figure.
The types of temporary accommodation households are placed in varies from hostels to shared houses, properties belonging to private landlords, or council-owned accommodation.
Broadly matching the trends from last year, the most common type of temporary accommodation in use in Reading is local authority or housing association stock housing, which accounted for 230 households, or 57.2 per cent.
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The second most common was self-contained, privately managed accommodation paid for on a per-night basis, which accounted for 152 households, or 37.8 per cent.
This comes as the number of households in temporary accommodation across England has climbed to a new record high.
The number in England this year is about 131,140, an increase on last year's figure of 117,350 and more than double what it was a decade ago in March 2015, when it was only 64,710 households.
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The number of children in temporary accommodation is also at a record high nationally at 169,050, up from 151,540 in 2024 and at its the highest since records began in 1998.
John Glenton, executive director at the charity Riverside, which provides accommodation for people affected by homelessness, said the numbers were 'greatly concerning'.
He added: 'It is particularly disappointing to see the number of additional homeless children living in temporary accommodation continuing to increase so rapidly..."
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