THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020Figures show soaring use of
temporary accommodation
Number of single mothers in temporary housing reached 37,750 in 2019 (iStock)
MAYA OPPENHEIM
WOMEN’S CORRESPONDENT
The number of single mothers living in temporary accommodation has soared by 75 per cent over the past
decade, sparking fresh concerns that the government is failing women. Since 2010, the number of single
mothers in B&Bs, hostels, hotels and other places that are unsuitable for bringing up a family has increased
by more than 16,000. Government data shows that 37,750 single women were raising a family in a
temporary home in 2019 – a dramatic increase from 21,730 in 2010.
Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said: “It is simply not right that so many parents are