177,530 children were living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of March 2026.
Read that number again.
Behind it are families living in accommodation they did not choose, often without knowing how long they will be there or where their permanent home will eventually be.
In total, 135,580 households were in temporary accommodation.
That is a record high.
At DSS Select, we believe the housing conversation now needs to focus much harder on the route out.
Emergency accommodation is necessary when somebody has nowhere safe to live.
It should not become a destination.
Temporary Should Mean Temporary
The word itself tells us what the system is supposed to do.
Temporary accommodation provides somewhere to live while a longer-term housing solution is found.
Yet for too many households, temporary becomes normal.
Government figures show that among families with children in temporary accommodation, the most common length of stay is now two to five years.
A child can start primary school and spend several years of their education without a settled home.
That is not a functioning move-on system.
The Private Rental Sector Has to Be Part of the Answer
There is no credible short-term solution to the housing shortage that excludes private landlords.
Social housing supply cannot instantly absorb every household in temporary accommodation.
New homes cannot be built overnight.
Private rented properties already exist.
That means the challenge is getting suitable households into suitable homes and making the arrangement work for both tenant and landlord.
This is precisely where the industry needs to become more practical.
Being Ready to Move On Is Not Always Enough
There are people in supported or temporary accommodation who are ready for independent living.
They have learned to manage a tenancy.
They can look after a property.
They may be working or receiving stable benefit income.
They have support.
Then they try to enter the private rental market.
Suddenly they encounter referencing criteria designed around somebody in permanent full-time employment with a conventional credit profile and access to a homeowner guarantor.
That can turn “ready to move on” into “nowhere to move on to.”
We need to fix that gap.
Tenants Need a Housing Passport
DSS Select believes there is a strong case for a more portable tenant readiness record.
If someone has successfully maintained accommodation through a council, charity or supported-housing provider, why should that history effectively disappear when they approach a private landlord?
Their record could demonstrate:
- Previous rent payment history
- Property condition
- Length of occupation
- Support received
- Ability to live independently
- Previous landlord or support-provider references
- Current income and benefits
- Any deposit or rent guarantee available
That tells a landlord considerably more than a binary computer-generated reference result.
A tenant who has demonstrated for two years that they can maintain a home should be able to take that evidence with them.
Support Should Follow the Tenant
Moving into independent accommodation should not mean every form of support disappears on day one.
The first months of a new tenancy matter.
There may be benefit changes to manage.
Bills need to be established.
A tenant who has never previously managed all household costs independently may need guidance.
Problems dealt with in week two can be minor.
The same problems ignored for six months can end a tenancy.
So where somebody moves from supported accommodation into the PRS, there is a strong argument for transitional tenancy support.
Not permanent intervention.
A bridge.
Landlords Need Confidence Too
If we want landlords to accept applicants moving from temporary or supported accommodation, telling them to “give someone a chance” is not enough.
Housing policy cannot be built on goodwill alone.
Give landlords something tangible.
A deposit guarantee.
Rent-in-advance support.
A named contact.
A clear affordability assessment.
Someone to call if the rent stops.
Someone to call if the tenant needs help.
A mechanism for intervening before a problem escalates.
That is how you turn social purpose into a proposition a private landlord can realistically accept.
Stop Making Tenants Tell Their Story Ten Times
People experiencing housing difficulty are repeatedly asked for the same information.
Council.
Support worker.
Charity.
Housing provider.
Agent.
Referencing company.
Landlord.
Each organisation wants another form.
Another explanation.
Another set of documents.
Some verification is unavoidable.
Needless repetition is not.
With appropriate consent and data protection, organisations involved in a move-on tenancy should be able to share the information necessary to assess and establish that tenancy efficiently.
The tenant should be treated as a person trying to find a home, not an administrative problem being passed between departments.
Location Matters
There is another uncomfortable reality.
A property is not necessarily suitable simply because it has the right number of bedrooms.
A family may have children at school.
Someone may have employment nearby.
A tenant may depend on relatives for childcare.
Another person may need regular medical or support appointments.
Moving them miles away can solve the accommodation problem on paper while creating several new problems in real life.
Government figures show 43,180 households owed a temporary accommodation duty were placed in a different local authority area at the end of March 2026.
Housing decisions need to recognise that people’s lives have geography.
A home is connected to work, schools, family and community.
Move-On Needs to Become a Measurable Objective
We measure homelessness.
We measure temporary accommodation.
We measure housing supply.
We should place much greater emphasis on successful move-on into sustainable independent tenancies.
How many households were ready?
How many suitable properties were available?
How many landlords were approached?
Why were applications rejected?
What support would have changed the answer?
How many tenancies were still successfully operating after 12 months?
Those questions identify where the system is actually failing.
Without them, households can remain stuck while every organisation involved technically completes its own part of the process.
The DSS Select View
Temporary accommodation solves an immediate problem.
It does not solve the housing problem.
The objective must be progression into a sustainable home.
DSS Select believes the private rented sector has a much bigger role to play in that process—but landlords cannot be expected to carry all the risk and tenants cannot be expected to navigate the system alone.
We need a proper bridge between temporary accommodation, supported housing and the private rented sector.
That means recognising proven tenancy history.
It means better affordability assessment.
It means deposit and rent support where appropriate.
It means landlords having somebody accountable to contact.
And it means support following the tenant during the transition rather than disappearing the moment the keys are handed over.
Most importantly, it requires a change in mindset.
Someone who has experienced homelessness should not permanently carry the label “homeless applicant.”
Someone who has successfully maintained supported accommodation should not be viewed only through their past.
They should be assessed on where they are now and whether they are ready to sustain a home.
Because ultimately that is what move-on should mean.
Not moving someone through another part of the housing system.
Moving them home.
