Tories should “hang their heads in shame” over child homelessness – John Healey

Shadow housing secretary John Healey has slammed the government’s record on child homelessness today.

Nearly 40,000 families with children are without a permanent home, Labour party analysis shows.

The new analysis shows a massive 70 percent rise since 2010 in homeless families with children. A shocking 114,930 children are staying in temporary accommodation, a 58 percent rise on the same point in 2010.

Fitting the grim pattern, the number of families sheltered for more than six weeks in bed and breakfast style accommodation, which is illegal, has risen from 288 in 2010 to 1,080 today.

Healey said: “Ministers should hang their heads in shame over this homelessness crisis for children. Six years of housing policy failure under Conservative ministers has led directly to today’s rapidly rising homelessness. You can’t help the homeless if you won’t build the homes, and the Government has ended all funding for genuinely affordable rented housing.

“Homelessness is not inevitable and Labour in government cut it right down before levels started to soar again after 2010 with the Tories.”

“Labour backs new legislation to improve prevention of homelessness but to help the thousands of children without a home Tory ministers must also build more affordable housing, act on private renting and reverse their crude cuts to housing benefit for the most vulnerable.”