More than 172,000 children are now living in temporary accommodation across England, marking a new record high that campaigners note is nearly double the capacity of Wembley Stadium.
Government data reveals that 172,420 dependent children were housed in such conditions, a form of homelessness, by the end of June.
This alarming figure continues a trend of quarterly increases observed since 2021.
Major homelessness charities have reacted strongly to the latest statistics, with one branding the situation “utterly shameful” and another questioning: “When this will end?”
In response, campaigners are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to unfreeze housing benefit in next month’s Budget and for the Government to finally publish its long-awaited homelessness strategy.
Overall, 132,410 households, encompassing both those with and without children, were in temporary accommodation at the end of June.
This represents a 1.2 per cent rise from the previous three-month period and a 7.6 per cent increase compared to the same time last year, when the total stood at 123,030.
The latest data, released on Thursday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, also showed that 84,240 households with children were in temporary accommodation at the end of June 2025.
Matt Downie, Crisis charity chief executive, said: “Tragically we have now become totally accustomed to seeing record levels of children growing up in temporary accommodation. We are talking about children with no space to play, no place to do homework, no safe, stable place to call home.
“So we have to ask, as living costs increase and the supply of social homes recedes, when this will end?”
He said the Government’s much-anticipated homelessness strategy must be “ambitious” to tackle the issue, said unfreezing housing benefit in the Budget would “enable more people and families to stay in their homes” and added that “urgently kickstarting a new generation of social homes” would also help families and children “escape poverty and see a brighter future for themselves and their communities”.
Shelter’s director of campaigns and policy, Mairi MacRae, said: “It’s utterly shameful that the number of children homeless could now fill a city the size of Oxford.”
She echoed calls to unfreeze local housing allowance in the autumn Budget “so that it covers at least the bottom third of local rents, to prevent more families from being caught in the rising tide of homelessness” and repeated calls for a national target of 90,000 social rent homes to be built a year for 10 years “to end homelessness for good”.
The JustFair charity branded the figures “a national disgrace” and warned the number of children in temporary accommodation is “the equivalent of filling Wembley Stadium almost twice over with homeless children”.
Social housing provider Riverside said the figures show a “humanitarian crisis”, with “enough homeless children living in temporary accommodation (TA) in England to fill both Wembley Stadium and Twickenham”.
Wembley Stadium’s capacity is 90,000 while Twickenham can hold 82,000 and Oxford’s population is around 165,000.
John Glenton, chief care and support officer at Riverside, urged the Government to “provide ring-fenced funding for supported housing and homelessness services again as part of the impending long-term homelessness strategy”.
The Salvation Army said, while the “nation is under financial pressure”, every child “deserves a safe and stable home and this should not be their burden to carry”.
The charity’s Nick Redmore added: “Each day the Government delays changing conflicting policies that adversely affect homelessness is another day children and their families suffer for being in poverty.”
The numbers of households in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation has continued to fall, with the latest figures showing 142,50 in this kind of accommodation at the end of June, down by more than a fifth from 18,370 at the same point the previous year.
The number of households in B&Bs with dependent children fell 43.5% to 3,340 households from 5,910 at the same point last year.
Homelessness Minister, Alison McGovern said: “Today’s statistics are a harsh reminder that too many have been let down by the system meant to protect them.
“We’re seeing signs of progress with the number of households with children in bed and breakfast accommodation continuing to decrease, and the number of households requiring homelessness support falling but I know that’s not enough to fix years of failure.
“That is why we are digging deep to tackle the root causes, investing £1bn in 2025/26, including an additional £84 million to prevent homelessness this winter, building 1.5 million homes and £39bn for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, scrapping Section 21 evictions, and raising standards to ensure safe and secure housing for all.”
