104 Children Die in UK Temporary Housing Over Six Years

Living in temporary accommodation has been linked to the deaths of at least 104 children under six years old in England over the past six years, according to data compiled by an all-party parliamentary group. The statistics reveal that 76 of these children were under the age of one, highlighting a severe housing crisis pushing families into dangerous conditions.

The Guardian reported that there were 64 stillbirths and 27 neonatal deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation (TA) in the UK in 2024. The parliamentary group used data from the National Child Mortality Database, which showed that between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025, 104 children died with TA recorded as a contributing factor to their vulnerability or death. Additionally, figures showed that 140 children died with their main residence listed as TA between October 2023 and September 2025, each subject to formal death reviews.

The cross-party housing, communities, and local government committee released a separate report concluding that families were living in temporary accommodation that was unfit for human habitation. The Guardian reported that the committee criticized the government for failing to collect official data on the physical condition of TA. Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said: “In the Child Poverty Strategy, we set out our commitment to do everything we can to eradicate unsuitable or poor-quality accommodation.”

Experts have called for urgent action to address the housing crisis and ensure that no family is left in conditions that put lives at risk. Siobhain McDonagh, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation, said: “We need urgent, sustained action to bring down the number of homeless children and to ensure that no family is left in conditions that put lives at risk.”