Homelessness Prevention and Temporary Accommodation

Homelessness is bad for your health and particularly damaging for children.

Studies show that being without a stable home can worsen medial conditions such as depression and have a negative impact on children's education.

Temporary accommodation is sometimes the only way Westminster City Council is able to house applicants for a period of time.

Facts about Temporary Accommodation

• There are nearly 2,000 Westminster households living in temporary accommodation
  
  
• Many of these live in East London, because there are not enough temporary homes in Westminster itself
  
  
• The average wait for a permanent home for someone accepted on to the list today is likely to be around four and a half years. This will be much longer for families requiring three-bedrooms or more.
  
  
• Temporary accommodation is very expensive. A self-contained temporary flat in East London costs around £431 per week.

The Housing Options Service can help you avoid becoming homeless and living in temporary accommodation. If you think you might become homeless, please tell us quickly, so we can try to stop this happening.

If you are already homeless, please contact us as soon as possible.

Download our leaflet Applying for Housing as a Homeless Person