Nearly half of families who are placed in temporary housing when they become homeless are forced to put their children into new schools or spend several hours a day taking them to and from their current school, according to new research.
The disruption caused by being placed miles from their original home harms children’s academic performance and emotional wellbeing, according to the study by Shelter, the housing charity. Over a third of children have missed more than a month of school after being placed in temporary accommodation.
The findings were part of a study carried out to gauge the impact on homeless families of living for long periods in poor quality temporary flats, hostels, bedsits and hotel rooms, often far from family support networks.
“Depriving children of space to play, interrupting their education and cutting them off from friendships can cause lasting harm to kids’ emotional, behavioural and academic development. Ultimately, this undermines their life chances,” it concludes.
