IKEA and Shelter have today unveiled a harrowing ‘UNWELCOME HOME’ doll’s house, revealing the shocking truth of life in temporary accommodation for children who are homeless in London.
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IKEA has converted its FLISAT Doll’s Houses into an unwelcome home, on display in its London Wembley store, as new data from Shelter reveals one in 22 children in the city are living in temporary accommodation in London –one of the highest rates in the country.
The display, which is based on lived experience insights, urges people to take a closer look at the reality for many of the 151,630 children living in temporary accommodation in England2, revealing mouldy walls, rats, dangerous wiring, cramped spaces and mattresses on the floor.
A dire shortage of social homes, rising evictions and sky-high private rents are forcing more families across the country into homelessness. As a result, the number of children currently in temporary accommodation in England has increased by 15% in the last year, marking the highest number since records began in 20043.
Cities that have some of the highest rates of children living in temporary accommodation include London with one in 224, Birmingham with one in 28 children5 and Manchester with one in 306 Find out how many children are homeless in your area.
This ‘temporary’ solution is far from temporary for many. Temporary accommodation is provided by councils to qualifying families who are homeless while they wait for their application to be processed and to be offered a settled home, and can take the form of emergency hostels, B&Bs, one room bedsits and cramped flats.
It was never intended to be used outside of emergencies, but with a chronic shortage in social housing, almost half (47%) of families who are homeless in temporary accommodation have been there for more than two years7 –trapped in uncertainty and often intolerable conditions.
The UNWELCOME HOME doll’s house was based on Shelter’s 2023 landmark report 8 into the realities of living in temporary accommodation, which found three-quarters (75%) of households live in poor conditions.
One in five (21%) experienced a safety hazard, such as faulty wiring or fire risks. More than two thirds (68%) of people have inadequate access to basic facilities, such as cooking or laundry facilities. And more than one in three (35%) parents said their children don’t even have their own bed.
IKEA and Shelter are continuing their partnership to raise awareness of the housing emergency, calling on the Government to build more genuinely affordable social homes, ensuring that by 2030, half a million people have access to a better life at home.
The UNWELCOME HOME doll’s house urges people to take a closer look at the scale of the problem and to sign an open letter calling on the Government to commit to building 90,000 social rent homes each year for ten years.
Hiliary Jenkins, Partnerships Lead at IKEA UK and Ireland said: “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. Families homeless in temporary accommodation face insecurity, cramped conditions and sometimes serious hazards, which is unacceptable.
“Alongside Shelter, we’re shining a light on the horrifying conditions experienced by families who are stuck in homeless accommodation which is proving to be anything but temporary. Our UNWELCOME HOME doll’s house is there to encourage customers to take a closer look at the issues right on their doorsteps, as we call on the Government to build a new generation of social rent homes for families, to help tackle the housing emergency.”
