Birmingham has thousands of empty homes while families face homelessness
Birmingham: It’s pretty wild to think that there are enough empty homes in Birmingham to house all the homeless families in the city. Recent government stats show there are 5,406 empty properties just sitting there, which is one in every 86 homes.
This number is the highest in all of England. Sure, it’s down from 6,399 last year, but it’s still enough to accommodate the 5,034 homeless households currently in temporary housing. And get this, those families include 10,598 kids!
A home is considered “long-term empty” if it’s been vacant for at least six months. While the number of empty homes has gone up across the country, there are still plenty of properties available to help those in need.
In total, there are 265,061 homes in England that have been empty for at least six months. That’s an increase from 261,474 last year and 248,149 in 2022. So, one in every 97 homes nationwide is sitting empty.
On the flip side, the number of homeless kids living in temporary accommodation hit record highs this past June. Between April and June, there were 123,100 homeless households in temporary housing across the country.
Out of those, 78,420 were families with a staggering 159,380 kids. Some 5,910 families have been stuck in B&Bs for longer than the legal six-week limit. It’s a tough situation.
Homeless charities are urging the government to step in and use these empty homes to help those in need. Rebecca Moore, director of Action on Empty Homes, pointed out that every year, more families are becoming homeless while homes just sit there unused.
She said, “We can’t keep putting families in unsuitable temporary housing while so many homes are wasted. It’s especially shocking to see the rise in London, where many homeless families come from.”
Moore also highlighted the ongoing housing crisis, saying, “How long can we let the number of empty homes keep rising while 117,000 families and over 151,000 kids are stuck in temporary accommodation, costing the nation two billion pounds a year?”
She believes a new national empty homes program is long overdue. Organizations like Action on Empty Homes, Crisis, and Shelter are calling for a strategic approach to tackle the housing emergency and get these homes back into use quickly.
Moore emphasized that the government needs to respond with funding and incentives to transform these empty properties into homes for families. “Homeless families can’t wait ten years for new towns to be built; they need housing in their communities now,” she said.
