Following the Government’s £9.1m announcement for winter homelessness support in the South West, Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden has called on ministers to do much more to deliver real, long-term solutions to end homelessness - not just short-term fixes.

With record numbers of households now living in temporary accommodation, including nearly 170,000 children, this latest Government announcement falls far short of addressing the scale of the housing crisis according to Voaden. Many councils are struggling to manage against a backdrop of budget cuts and spiralling costs to support families in need of temporary accommodation.

Official figures show that local authorities now face a £2.8 billion bill for temporary accommodation in 2024–25, up from £2.3 billion last year, a cost many fear is unsustainable. Meanwhile, over 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists across England.

Caroline Voaden said: “It’s heartbreaking that as we approach winter so many families and children in the South West will be without a safe, warm place to call home. Over 500 days have passed since the election, and we are still waiting for the Government to produce its homelessness strategy. They must step up to end homelessness once and for all.

“Central to this must be a statutory target on social homes to tackle the 1.3 million households on waiting lists. The Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the Government to be more ambitious, including abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions and setting out a strategy to end all forms of homelessness. No more should families be forced to sleep rough and without their basic right to shelter.”

The Government insists it is acting to address the issue, pledging to invest in both immediate and long-term support. Housing Secretary Steve Reed said in a recent statement: “Homelessness is a moral stain on our society. Growing numbers of people have been abandoned to sleep rough on the streets and children left in squalid, overcrowded conditions.

“This government will not stand idly by and allow that to continue. We will make different choices. That’s why we are investing £1 billion to give homeless people the security of a roof over their heads and get back on track to end homelessness for good.”

The Government plans to introduce the new Renters’ Rights Bill in 2026, which aims to end no-fault evictions by abolishing Section 21. Critics argue it could lead to a reduction of housing supply and increase costs for tenants - making the rental market less accessible to many on lower incomes.

Balbir Kaur Chatrik, Director of Policy at Centrepoint, described the increase in youth homelessness as "staggering," stating in a comment to the Big Issue: “Government ministers will rightly claim they inherited this crisis – and they are taking positive steps towards addressing it – but we are now in desperate need of leadership and urgent action.

“This is not just about funding but proper oversight from government that ensures councils are doing their job – and the most vulnerable young people are not left out,”

For many people, the question remains: will political promises translate into real roofs over people’s heads — or will homelessness continue to shame a nation that calls itself the world’s sixth-richest economy?