The number of households living in temporary accommodation increased by 18 per cent in the year to March 2024, meaning that one in every 215 households currently live in temporary accommodation, new research has revealed.

For thousands of people this means being trapped living in hotels, B&B’s and on caravan parks.

The new research, by the Bevan Foundation and Shelter Cymru, highlights particular concerns about the impact of temporary accommodation on children.

Nearly 3,000 children are living in temporary accommodation in Wales with their family - nearly six in every 1,000 children, with a third of these having been stuck in temporary accommodation for over a year. Conditions are often not fit for children’s needs.

Wendy Dearden, senior policy and research officer, Bevan Foundation said: ​“The human cost of our housing crisis is clear in the growing numbers with nowhere permanent to call home.

"We recognise that local authorities are doing the best that they can to help people, but a shortage of affordable homes for them to move onto is putting huge pressure on the system.”

Robin White, head of campaigns, Shelter Cymru said: “This report makes for harrowing reading, but what it says comes as no surprise.

"We know local authorities don’t want to be reliant on B&Bs and other expensive, short-term solutions. That’s why we need the Welsh Government to make tackling the housing emergency a cross-government priority and invest further in providing the social homes Wales desperately needs.”