Fall in number of Sheffield children of homeless families living in B&Bs
Fewer Sheffield children are now living in B&Bs when their families become homeless.
The number of children in temporary accommodation or B&Bs has dropped from a high point of 912 for six months in 2024-25 to 824 in April to June of this year.
The number of households with children in B&Bs hit 115 in April to June 2024 and the figure a year later had dropped to 47. The total in other types of temporary accommodation for the same time periods rose from 265 to 318.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of Sheffield City Council’s finance and performance policy committee on Monday (September 22). Figures were presented showing progress on a range of issues including action to cope with an increase in the number of people in need of temporary accommodation.
A report to the committee said: “B&B usage is now at its lowest since June 2024. This is encouraging progress towards ending the use of B&B in the next two years.”
Overspending of £3.8m on temporary accommodation for homeless people is one of the major financial pressures on the council, which faces a budget shortfall of £28.2m in 2025-26.
Prevention
The council has also taken action to keep families out of B&Bs as far as possible. The aim is to improve the figures further in coming months, partly by freeing up more council accommodation.
The report to the committee said that the improvements are a result of “better prevention work, changes to how the need is assessed, increased resource allocation to the frontline needs-assessment team and efficiencies in the management of cases to move people from temporary [accommodation] or B&Bs to supported or permanent housing”.
Committee member Coun Douglas Johnson, who chairs the housing policy committee, said: “The bottom line is that a bed and breakfast is no place for children to be in and there’s national legislation saying that we should not be doing that.
“It is important to recognise that temporary accommodation can be a range of things – it can be B&B but it can be a completely self-contained council house, so children in temporary accommodation is not the same as children in B&Bs.
“Obviously, no child should be homeless.”