Over half of teachers in South East working with homeless children
They are seeing first-hand the impact it has on their education.
At last count, 864 children in West Sussex were living in temporary accommodation, and there's a worry about the impact on their education.
Housing charity Shelter says nearly 60% of teachers in the South East have worked with a homeless child and seen the impact this has on their schooling.
The charity's findings show most teachers have first-hand knowledge of the damage done by the housing emergency to education -- with it now commonplace to see children grappling with homelessness at school.
With the impact of the pandemic making housing inequalities worse, Shelter warns that this desperate situation could worsen for the 10,770 homeless children living in the South East.
Of the 864 children living in temporary accommodation in West Sussex, Crawley had the most with 225, followed by Worthing with 190, Arun with 128, Mid Sussex with 102, Horsham with 98, Chichester with 71 and Adur with 50.
In the last three years, some of the most devastating effects seen by teachers with experience of working with homeless children or those living in bad housing in the region include hunger, tiredness, absenteeism, and poor hygiene:
• 87% of these teachers reported children missing school as a key issue. This is often because children can face significant difficulties with their journey to school if they become homeless and are accommodated a long way from their former home.
• 82% reported children coming to school hungry. Temporary accommodation such as B&Bs and hostels are often not equipped with suitable or any cooking facilities.
• 88% reported tiredness as an issue for homeless children and those living in bad housing. In overcrowded accommodation children may struggle to sleep.
• 85% reported children arriving at school in unwashed or dirty clothing. This can be caused by a lack of proper or affordable washing facilities in temporary accommodation, as well as issues such as mould and damp in poor-quality housing.
Talking with teachers
In order to explore the themes raised by its polling in more detail, Shelter also carried out anonymous interviews with eight teachers working in primary and secondary schools.
One of the teachers interviewed reflected on how exhausted a young pupil became because she was moved to emergency homeless accommodation in a different area:
"She leaves home at 6am every morning to get to school because the local authority have no homes so she has been temporarily rehoused out of area...the family of four are living in one room at a B&B. Her attendance has dropped severely, she has become ill and she is always tired."
Another secondary school teacher shared the experience of one student whose housing situation had such an extreme impact on his mental health, he was eventually forced to drop out of school altogether:
"He was in temporary accommodation on his own and just couldn't handle anything. His situation was such a mental strain on him that he just couldn't handle being at college anymore, so he dropped out in the end. So, he had such a horrible time of things and, despite all support that we possibly could provide, it's just not enough from the student's perspective."
Going deeper with the research
To understand the impact of the pandemic on the education of homeless children and those trapped in bad housing, Shelter then conducted a follow-up survey with teachers in October as schools in the South East re-opened their doors.
The results paint a worrying picture, with pandemic disruptions appearing to have set children without a suitable home even further back.
Two-thirds (65%) of teachers said homeless children or those living in bad housing have had their education more negatively affected than children in suitable housing.
Alongside its bid to get more secure social homes built, Shelter is urging the public to support its frontline services as they contend with a surge in demand triggered by the pandemic. Shelter's services are open 365 days a year to provide expert advice and support to families facing homelessness, which includes helping families to access a safe home.
A Hertfordshire family's story
One of the families Shelter has supported this year is single dad Mark Holland, 34, and his six-year-old daughter Macy.
Mark and Macy, from Hertfordshire, became homeless in 2019. Throughout the first national lockdown they were forced to sofa surf.
After the lockdown ended, they were placed into temporary accommodation by their local council.
But it was so far from Macy's school it required two long bus journeys, with the fares costing £100 per week.
Mark said:
"The temporary accommodation was awful. There was hardly any room for me to help Macy with her schoolwork; we didn't even have a small table. And there were people hanging around outside who would disturb Macy's sleep.
"We didn't have our own kitchen facilities, which made it harder for me to cook for her. But the worst part was being so far from her school.
"I worried about the longer journey making Macy tired. She is super smart and loves school. But the temporary accommodation meant that she didn't have the space and quiet she needed to rest and recuperate."
With Shelter's support, Mark and Macy moved into their new permanent social home in November 2020. Both are looking forward to spending their first Christmas in their own home.
Mark continued:
"Just a few weeks ago I was sitting in that horrible room thinking, 'are we going to have to spend Christmas here?' I lost hope; I felt like everyone had turned their backs on us. But speaking to Shelter gave me hope.
"Just having someone to listen gave me hope. "And now we have a home that is all ours; our own kitchen, our own garden - everything.? We can't wait to decorate this Christmas with decorations that Macy has made.
"Without a proper home, Macy's education could have been badly affected. Children need a secure home to thrive. But now Macy has her own home, she can do anything. She can fly."
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said:
"Without a safe and secure home, a child's life chances can be deeply disrupted.
"This is not only a scandal affecting the South East, it's a problem everywhere. Without action the extra harm being done to homeless children as a result of the pandemic may never be undone. The region's homeless children must not be the invisible victims of this crisis.
"We still don't know what the long-term impact of the pandemic will be on this generation of children. But for now, Shelter is here to support and give hope to the families who need us the most. With the public's support we will do all we can to make sure every child has a safe and secure home - this winter and beyond."
To donate to Shelter's urgent winter appeal and give hope to families facing homelessness, visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate.