The Housing Loop: Why Families are Forced Back into Temporary Accommodation

There is a content warning for this session. The conversation includes discussion of domestic abuse, homelessness and the experiences of families in temporary accommodation.

There are 1.4 million fewer social homes in England today than there were in the 1980s. Over 170,000 children are currently living in temporary accommodation. And keeping a single family in that temporary accommodation costs, on average, more than £30,000 a year — while the human cost goes far beyond any figure.

In this episode of the Social Housing Round Table, part of the Customer and Community stream, Matt Baird is joined by Alexandra Pop-Hristic of Bridge Housing Solutions and Naomi Rae Wharton of Populo Living for an honest and at times deeply moving conversation about the housing loop — the cycle that pulls families, and particularly domestic abuse survivors, back into temporary accommodation again and again.

Alexandra introduces Bridge Connect, a matching platform designed to speed up reciprocal moves and get people into suitable permanent homes faster, prioritising those fleeing domestic abuse. Naomi shares her research into the violence risks facing young people in temporary accommodation, the data gaps that make the problem harder to address, and her five-point framework for change.

The wider discussion draws in voices from across the room — housing professionals, tenants, and those with lived experience — and raises questions that go well beyond the immediate crisis: about labelling, about profit, about political will, and about who is really responsible for fixing something this broken.

It is a session that stays with you.

Big thank you to ASB App and Alertacall Ltd for sponsoring The Social Housing Round Table, without them, none of this would be possible.