The number of homeless families living in temporary bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation has risen by almost half in the first few months of 2012.

This comes after 2011 and 2012 also saw consecutive rises in overall numbers of homeless – the first rise in seven years – pushing homelessness up 26% in two years.

With homeless rates increasing again the demand for emergency temporary accommodation, such as B&Bs, is getting higher. National Housing Federation research found that between January and March 2011 there were 2,750 families nationwide living in B&Bs. Over the same period in 2012 this had risen to 3,960, an increase of 44%.

Alternative temporary accommodation to B&Bs, in the form of houses or flats leased by local authorities and housing associations, provides short-term homes to around 26,000 homeless families. This accommodation is more stable and secure than B&Bs, with the space and access required for children to live a normal life and for parents to work their way out of homelessness and towards a better future.

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But from April 2013, families living in these crisis homes could be hit by the new universal benefit cap, which will limit the total amount of benefit they can claim to £500 a week. As short-term emergency accommodation is more expensive to rent and manage, this could mean families are unable to pay the rent – pushing them back into B&Bs, or even on to the streets.

The Government has not yet confirmed how the benefit cap will affect people living in temporary accommodation and what measures will be taken to protect the service.

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: "In a B&B whole families can find themselves sharing one room and they are often shut out of their accommodation during the day, causing huge disruption to daily routines of school and work. Every child deserves a decent home to come back to after school, where they feel secure, and where they can sit down to do their homework. That is what temporary accommodation provides.

"Without the safety net of temporary accommodation, thousands more families will find themselves in a vicious cycle of homelessness.

"It is essential that the Government puts in place measures to protect this crucial service and the vulnerable families who depend on it."

(CD)