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Official data from the National Child Mortality Database has revealed that at least 74 children in England have died over the last five years, due to temporary accommodation. Of the 74 children, 58 were babies aged one year and younger. The causes of death typically occurred due to overcrowding, mould, and a lack of sleeping options such as cots and Moses baskets. Despite a recommendation from guidance changes last year by the government, there is no legal obligation on local authorities to provide cots for homeless families with children under the age of 2. As it stands, temporary accommodation covers everything that is not a permanent home, including hotels, hostels, caravans, holiday parks, and flats and houses.
Though temporary accommodation and homelessness are ubiquitous societal realities, the issue arises when it is combined with inadequate housing conditions. Chairwoman for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, MP, called the statistics “shocking”. McDonagh noted that they represented “more than one every month… in the fifth largest economy in the world”.
The UK government plans to resolve the issue through the allocation of £1bn to councils to ensure that homeless families acquire “safe, secure, and stable housing” measures. Currently, there are over 123,000 families living in temporary accommodation in England.
Dr Laura Neilson, the Chief Executive for a Homeless Family organisation called Shared Health, notes that the findings by the National Child Mortality Database is “deeply upsetting”. She said, “We know that if you repeatedly move a child or baby, place them in accommodation without a cot or cooking facilities, and disconnect a family from support, the chance of death is increased.” Neilson believes that although the present data set indicates 74 deaths, the situation is likely worse than the numbers indicate.
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