The number of homeless people in England is higher than official government figures show, according to new research from charity crisis.
They said that around 189,000 families and individuals are facing the worst forms of homelessness such as rough sleeping, surfing tents are not included in the official statistics.
Official data is based on people declaring themselves homeless to a local authority, which the crisis often says doesn’t happen.
The government says it is investing £1bn in waste services by 2025/26, a £316m increase on the previous year.
The charity says that the number of people facing the worst form of homelessness will grow by a fifth from 2022 and now stands at around 300,000.
They say one of the drivers behind the numbers is a huge increase in the number of people being placed in inappropriate temporary accommodation.
If someone declares homelessness to the local authority, they can be placed in temporary accommodation while they look for permanent housing.
Research from the crisis, carried out by the University of Harriot-Watt, says the number of households placed in inappropriate temporary accommodation jumped from 19,200 to 2060.
Inappropriate temporary accommodation may include unsafe B & Bs and properties far from family and friends.
They said an additional 18,600 families were living in “improper accommodation” such as cars, huts and tents.
The crisis said that many of the people included in their research did not meet the threshold set by the government and councils to be eligible for home support, such as those sleeping on friends’ sofas.
Israel arrived in the UK in 2009 aged six, after his parents fled the war in Iraq.
For most of his childhood, his family was placed in more than 10 different temporary accommodation locations around London, which he often said.
IDRED said he and his siblings sometimes slept four to a room and that the places they stayed were often infested with rats.
He said he remembers his mother “leaving the sacks of rice because there were a lot of rats, we found rat droppings in our food”.
Islan said that the conditions he and his family live in make friends at school or focus on his studies.
Matt Downie, the chief executive of the crisis, said the findings of his organization’s research required a “fast response” from the government.
He said: “No one should be forced to live in unsafe conditions, whether children are poor quality B & BSE who sleep on the streets, in tents or in squats.”
Government data released last month found that almost 330,000 households are at risk of homelessness by 2024, but these figures include people living with people without permanent accommodation.
Last month the government announced an £84m cash advance to tackle winter homelessness.
Last year’s Labor election campaign promised to implement a new homelessness strategy.
It said a Labor government would “develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country, to put Britain on the homelessness track”.
Some Labor figures are concerned that no such strategy has been launched, but it is expected to happen before the end of the year.
A survey of local councils carried out as part of the crisis research found that 70% saw an increase in the number of people approaching them for help with the homeless last year.
A government spokesman said: “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, which is why we are investing more in homeless shelter services to tackle this issue.
“This is a targeted effort to address the root causes of homelessness by eliminating the section 21 ‘no exceptions’ section, and expanding safe access.”