A recent report has highlighted the progress and efforts Sheffield City Council has made towards providing housing stability and tackling hardship.

The latest Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy Action Plan update, that will be presented to the Council’s Housing Policy Committee next week, shows that family B&B placements have reduced by 43.8 per cent over the past year.

It articulated that the number of families staying in B&B accommodation for more than six weeks has fallen by 77 per cent.

Notably, for the first time since Christmas 2019, no families were recorded as living in B&B accommodation during the most recent quarter, between July and September.

This progress comes at a time where councils across the country are increasingly up against significant pressures from rising homelessness and increasing demand for temporary accommodation.

Sheffield City Council has increased its supply of dispersed temporary accommodation by 35 units. This initiative helps families find a safe place to stay.

These developments are a result of the Council’s collaboration with housing providers, voluntary sector organisations and support services across the city.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Chair of Sheffield City Council’s Housing Policy Committee, said: “When a family loses their home, it can be an incredibly distressing and uncertain experience.

“While bed and breakfast accommodation is sometimes needed for an emergency, it is not a place where families want to be or should be.

“That’s why it is very encouraging that we have reached a point where no families were placed in B&B accommodation during the last quarter.”

This will benefit children who can be traumatised for later life by living in inappropriate emergency accommodation.

Our focus remains on preventing homelessness wherever possible, helping people access suitable accommodation more quickly and ensuring families receive the support they need during some of the most challenging periods of their lives.

The Council “recognises there is still progress to be made including helping people without children currently staying in B&B accommodation” and work will continue at pace with our partners as we head towards the colder winter period.