Number of children living in temporary housing could 'fill both Wembley Stadium and Twickenham'
More than 172,000 children are now living in temporary housing across England, in what is described as a "humanitarian crisis"
Data released by the government has revealed that 172,420 children in England are living in temporary housing, a condition which is considered to be a form of homelessness.
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The latest information, 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.
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".
These alarming figures reflect a trend of quarterly increases since 2021.
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Homelessness charities and support groups are outraged by the latest findings, with one charity labelling it "utterly shameful."
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"
He said the Government’s much-anticipated homelessness strategy must be "ambitious" to tackle the issue.
Mr Downie believes unfreezing the 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".
Mairi MacRae, Shelter’s director of campaigns and policy, also felt targeting the housing allowance in the budget was vital.
She argued in favour of unfreezing it "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."
She also repeated calls for a national target of 90,000 social rent homes to be built each year for a decade "to end homelessness for good".
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."