Thank you to everyone who attended our fringe event at the Liberal Democrats Autumn Party Conference on Sunday 21st September, and to Cllr Darren Sanders, Lee Dillon MP and Andrew George MP for speaking.
After an emotional game of bingo, the panel shared best practice around supporting homeless families living in temporary accommodation. There was a positive discussion of how the Liberal Democrats can improve the lives of all children in temporary accommodation locally, regionally, and nationally.
“A planning society, that is fuelled by greed rather than need, you’re going to inevitably end up with consequences [such as] the housing needs of people getting worse.” – Andrew George MP.
“Dr Laura Neilson said when she gave evidence to our Select Committee – it’s never the child’s decision to go into TA. While we’re talking about the economic levers that we can pull in building houses, it’s the voice of the child that we really need to remember.” – Lee Dillon MP.
“We want to get there because we know changing lives matters, and we owe it to the families and the children.” – Cllr Darren Sanders.
The implications of Temporary Accommodation on children’s lives are far-reaching, with negative impacts on health and education, including an increased risk of child mortality. Our report, “Children Living in Temporary Accommodation: An Absolute Scandal”, exposes that living in Temporary Accommodation can violate thirteen articles of the United Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
