“Frozen in Time”: A Co-Produced Plan for Improving Temporary Accommodation in Westminster
"YOUR LIFE IS BASICALLY FROZEN IN TIME" - Interviewee
About the project
As the housing crisis deepens, the use of temporary accommodation (TA) in the City of Westminster is spiralling at an alarming rate.
Funded by Trust for London, we have worked with two peer researchers with lived experience of living in Westminster TA to explore the human impact of living in TA in the borough. The peer researchers have carried out one-to-one interviews with people living in TA in Westminster. Our co-produced report draws on these interviews and secondary research to propose ways to improve the standards of TA in the borough.
Alongside the peer researchers, we have also created an animation to creatively capture the reality of living in TA in Westminster.
The Context
Homelessness in England is spiking, and so is the use of temporary accommodation. Households are often placed in accommodation which is highly restricted and far from the areas they know, and/or in poor condition. And TA is often temporary in name only.
In the City of Westminster, homelessness is rising even more sharply than in the rest of the country. And problems with the type and location of accommodation are also intensified in the borough.
Our Findings
- Living in TA is defined by a sense of insecurity, with reported waits for settled accommodation lasting up to 20 years. The insecure nature of TA impacts people’s mental health and access to healthcare.
- Many residents are placed in hotel accommodation without access to essential facilities like cooking, laundry and Wi-Fi. This significantly impacts households’ health and causes financial difficulties.
- Being placed in ‘out-of-borough’ TA has a significant impact. It can lead to isolation, disruption to education and problems with accessing healthcare.
- There are significant issues with the condition of some Westminster TA, including infestations, damp and mould, which can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of children living in TA. Interviewees also reported inconsistent disrepair processes, and there was evidence that pre-placement inspections were inadequate.
- Some households are placed in accommodation which appears to breach legal requirements around suitability, including domestic abuse survivors being placed in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation, residents with being placed in
accommodation which is not accessible, and families living in overcrowded conditions. - There are often strict restrictions in place in hotels or supported accommodation, leaving some residents with care needs struggling to receive support, and also impacting on employment opportunities.
- There is a strong and widespread sense of dissatisfaction with Westminster City Council’s communication and information-sharing with people living in TA, with people often knowing little about the progress of their case or who to contact to report problems or request information.
Our Recommendations
Only significant investment in boosting the supply of social housing can truly bring the temporary accommodation crisis
to an end. But in the meantime, there are a number of steps that Westminster City Council can take to improve standards for people living in TA…
- The council should ensure that its TA acquisition strategy prioritises procuring accommodation which includes essential facilities, and commit to always providing meals or financial support to households placed without a kitchen.
- The council should continue its efforts to procure more TA within the borough, and deliver on its proposed commitment to provide more financial support for households placed outside it.
- The council should ensure it is carrying out thorough inspections to make sure it avoids placing households in substandard accommodation, and improves its processes for ensuring hazards in TA are addressed.
- The council should proactively provide compensation in line with ombudsman guidance, where households remain in unsuitable TA in breach of their legal rights.
- The council should review the restrictions being placed on people living in hotels and supported accommodation, to ensure that a more flexible approach can be taken.
- The council should simplify and clarify the processes for requesting information and reporting issues for people living in TA, including exploring the introduction of a single named point of contact, providing more regular updates on the progress of efforts to secure accommodation, and distributing the factsheet for people living in TA that is being prepared by the Westminster Temporary Accommodation Action Group.
This animation was co-produced with the two peer researchers and captures the insight and recommendations from our report.
#FixTheFiveBasics
Families across Westminster and London are living in temporary accommodation without access to cooked food or clean clothes, and with no idea how long they’ll be stuck there. This is affecting children’s health and development, and leaving families struggling to plan for their futures. We’re calling on the Council to Fix the Five Basics and give families the clarity they need to start rebuilding their lives.
Fix the Five Basics is a new campaign organised by the Better TA alliance, an informal group of grassroots organisations, frontline services, and people with lived experience of TA, backed by Trust for London.
As a member of the Alliance, we have invited Westminster councillors to a community lunch in September, where they will hear from people with lived experience of TA and together map practical solutions to fix the Five Basics.
Watch the adjacent video to hear from our peer researcher, Miracle, about the campaign.
This project was funded by Trust for London.