The Office of the Deputy Prime Ministerhas announced that it has met its B&B target.

Government Response: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Minister for homelessness Jeff Rooker said: "This is a tremendous achievement, and one which has changed the lives of literally thousands of children across England.

"Childhoods spent in B&B can have a damaging impact on the health,  education and the development of children, as they are often forced to spend time in cramped conditions with no space to play or do homework.

"This would have been impossible without the government's B&B target. If trends in  temporary accommodation use had continued without the btarget, there would now be between 8,500 and 9,700 families in B&B long term at the end of March.

"I am particularly pleased that all London boroughs have met the target. The use of B&B accommodation for families with children was greatest and the pressure was highest in the capital.

"Local authorities across the whole of England are now making reliance on B&B a thing of the past by preventing homelessness, finding better forms of accommodation, and pursuing innovative ways to offer families with children a better future."

"Government figures show that the number of homeless households - families, single people and couples - being placed in B&Bs by local
authorities has dropped during the last five quarters: the first time such a sustained reduction has been achieved for over a decade.

"This is also excellent news, but the hard work does not stop here. We must continue working with local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent homelessness and reduce use of temporary accommodation for all homeless people."

Forum Response: Shelter

Adam Sampson, director of Shelter said: "Meeting the target is a massive achievement, which has benefited thousands of homeless families.  This reduction in the number of families in B&B could not have been achieved without the target, the resources provided and the commitment of the government and the local authorities to meet it.  It is important now to move the agenda forward so that other people, not covered by this target but still living in B&B, are not left behind.

"Equally, the government must now put measures in place to deal with the even greater challenge of the record number of homeless families currently living in other forms of emergency accommodation, given the terrible impact that it has on their health, education, and future opportunities. In the long term, this can only be achieved with a
significant increase in investment to build more and better affordable homes."