Number of children living in temporary accommodation rises by 20,000

He added: “Tackling a crisis of this size means we must put in place effective solutions the government can deploy at a larger scale than is being done now.

“Increasing scale is why we are excited about plans to deliver the largest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.

“However, it is crucial that the extra £233m of government funding to tackle homelessness is also invested in solutions which address the huge scale of the problem in England.”

Mr Glenton said there has been “no significant investment” in hostels in England since 2011, while the number of bed spaces has fallen by 24%. 

He added: “Riverside’s data shows more than four-fifths of people (83%) moved on from homelessness in 2021-22 after staying in our hostels and shelters for up to 24 months.

“Increasing investment in hostels and supported housing would give England the scale it needs to get more people out of temporary accommodation and into a dedicated space where they can receive the support they need to move back into mainstream housing.”

Emma Haddad, chief executive of charity St Mungo’s, said the figures “show the scale of homelessness across society and, by definition, the devastating impact it has on people’s lives”.

She said the homelessness charity’s frontline teams are “working to help as many people as possible day and night”. 

However, she said the “sheer number of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness shows that we cannot only focus on a crisis response”.  

Ms Haddad added: “We need a longer-term vision, funding and partnership working to prevent people facing homelessness in the first place. 

“Now is the time to respond so that everyone has a safe home and a chance to rebuild their life.”

Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said that homelessness is “one the biggest and most urgent pressures facing councils”. 

He added: “The temporary accommodation subsidy gap, currently stuck at 2011 levels, needs to be urgently addressed in the Spending Review as this is driving ever higher-spend on temporary accommodation and limiting the resources available for homelessness prevention. 

“There also needs to be a genuine cross-departmental approach to tackling this crisis, as part of a long-term government strategy, with councils given the powers and resources needed to address the national shortage of affordable housing.”

Rushanara Ali, minister for homelessness and democracy, said it is a “scandal that so many children are waking up in temporary accommodation”. 

She said the Labour government has “inherited the consequences of years of failure to grip the housing crisis with families facing the brutal uncertainty and trauma of homelessness”.

Ms Ali added: “We are taking decisive action to get the homes we need built and our dedicated inter-ministerial group, led by the deputy prime minister, is working at pace across government to get us back on track to end homelessness for good.

“We have already announced extra funding to bring support for homelessness services to £1 billion next year. 

“But we will also deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable house building in a generation and tackle one of the biggest drivers of homelessness by ending no-fault evictions.”