This report provides a fresh analysis of data on hidden homeless populations in unsupported temporary accommodation (UTA) in order to lift the lid on the true extent of homelessness in England.

UTA is private, short-stay accommodation in which households do not have permanent residency status and limited access to local authority support to find settled accommodation. It includes Bed & Breakfasts (B&Bs),short-stay HMOs, private hostels, emergency accommodation and guesthouses.

UTA is typically ignored in legislation, policy and initiatives aimed at reducing or ending homelessness, in spite of the role it plays in the homelessness ‘system’. Those in UTA are not always considered homeless although residents will not have access to safe, secure and settled housing, often fit the legal definition for homelessness and are missed completely from official statistics.

As a result, many homeless households who end up in UTA do not go to local authority homelessness teams for support because they are not owed a statutory duty and cycle between rough sleeping and UTA, experiencing great hardship which largely goes unnoticed.