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Nestere Yehdego, 31, lives with his wife and their two young daughters in a cramped one-bedroom flat in Slough, where they have been residing for two years after being relocated from east London by Newham Council. The family’s living situation is causing significant distress, with Yehdego expressing concern about the impact on his children, especially his four-year-old daughter who is due to start school soon. “My first child can’t sleep well, as the younger one normally wakes her up three or four times a night by crying or making noise,” he explains. Yehdego worries that the lack of sleep will affect his daughter’s ability to cope at school.
Among the many families enduring temporary housing in England, around 135,000 families—including nearly 176,000 children—are currently housed in conditions described as inadequate by a Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report. Some of these properties are deemed “unfit for human habitation.” The committee is urging an update to overcrowding laws and insisting that local councils be mandated to conduct regular safety inspections to ensure accommodations are safe and livable. Yehdego highlights issues such as mould and dampness in his flat, which he believes is responsible for causing a rash and allergic reactions in his infant daughter. After consulting a GP, he was told the health problems stemmed from the condition of the home itself rather than pet allergies.
Similar concerns were raised by Alicia Samuels from Tower Hamlets, east London, who says her six-year-old son Aeon developed hearing difficulties and sleep apnoea because of the poor state of their temporary accommodation. The flat had previously suffered infestations of mice and had significant mould and damp, affecting her son’s health severely. “He ended up temporarily deaf in one ear because of the mould and the damp and the drafts,” Samuels says. Since becoming homeless while pregnant in 2019, Samuels and Aeon have moved through five temporary properties, none of which provided a permanent home. She recounts how mice infested their kitchen and bathroom, severely impacting her mental health due to feeling unsafe. Despite pest control visits, the difficulties persisted.
The housing crisis in London, described as unprecedented by a Newham Council spokesperson, has made placing families in suitable accommodations extremely challenging. While councils strive to prioritize local housing, temporary placements often occur outside borough boundaries. Though the council insists on investigating complaints urgently, individual cases like Yehdego’s and Samuels’ highlight the urgent need for improved standards. The situation has led to calls for stronger enforcement of “Awaab’s Law,” which mandates quick repairs of urgent hazards like mould and damp in social housing following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. Experts including Shelter’s chief executive Sarah Elliott link these housing hardships to a shortage of permanent, affordable homes and urge the government to support councils in building social rental homes to alleviate this persistent problem
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