Councils are still placing record numbers into short-term housing, but local authorities like Barnet LBC are now attempting to take back some control, explains Dan Peters. And Naisha Polaine says Barnet's temporary accommodation reduction plan is designed not simply to mitigate financial pressures but to reshape the structural conditions that create them.
On any given night in England, the equivalent of a medium-sized town is being forced to live in temporary accommodation (TA).
Families cook dinner on camping hobs in former B&Bs and children do their homework on hotel beds – all while parents frantically check their phones for the next call from the council.
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