More than 50,000 people homeless in B&Bs across UK - almost 10 times official figures

Thousands being 'forgotten in statistics' as estimated 51,500 people found to be living in temporary accommodation – compared with 5,870 recorded by government, says charity

Seventy-eight homeless people died last winter – an average of at least two a week (AFP/Getty)

The true scale of homelessness in the UK is almost 10 times worse than official figures suggest, according to a new report.

Homeless charity Justlife warns thousands of people are being “forgotten in statistics” after it estimated that at least 51,500 people were living in B&Bs in the year to April 2016 – compared with 5,870 official B&B placements recorded by the government.

It comes after a separate investigation found that 78 homeless people died last winter – an average of at least two a week. The report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed the fatalities included rough sleepers, people recognised as "statutory homeless" and people staying in temporary accommodation.

Justlife reached its estimate on the homeless B&B population using data gathered from Freedom of Information requests to local authorities, along with other information from the government's Rural and Urban Classification for Local Authority Districts data.

Christa Maciver, author of the report, said: “We can no longer ignore the tens of thousands of people stuck homeless, hidden and ignored in our cities. This report shows there is so much we don’t know and that we really need to be calculating homelessness more accurately.

“Very few seem to care about the vulnerable people who end up in B&Bs, hostels and guesthouses. Once they are there they are forgotten and it’s almost like we forget they are people.

“Their mental and physical health gets worse, and many can end up dead, but because they have a roof over their head – no matter how insecure – they are not counted within homelessness, when they should be. Only if we acknowledge the problem will we really be able to start finding solutions.”

The findings will fuel concerns about rising numbers of households in temporary accommodation, after a report commissioned by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) earlier this month estimated more than 100,000 households would be living in B&Bs, hostels and other forms of temporary housing by 2020.

One B&B resident, referred to as Malcolm, told of his experience of living in temporary accommodation for 18 months, saying: “I'm totally depressed living there. You can't have anything nice. Things just go missing.

“You see, there aren't working locks on all the doors. In my room there are bare wires hanging out and I have no light. I also feel quite vulnerable because anyone can get in or is let in and it gets me down.”

Megan Lucero, director of Bureau Local, which surveyed dozens of homeless charities, trawled local press reports and pieced together figures to create a database of homeless deaths, said: “Local journalists and charities are often the only ones recording these deaths.

“We are setting out to work with people around the country to record local stories, increase transparency and report a much needed national picture."

Responding to the findings, a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “Everyone deserves a safe and decent place to live, and we are providing more than £1.2bn to ensure homeless people get the support they need.

“To ensure they can access permanent accommodation, we are also investing £2bn in social rent housing and allowing councils to borrow more to build homes. In addition, the Homelessness Reduction Act came into force this month, requiring councils to help those at risk of being homeless sooner.”