Almost half of homeless residents placed out of borough

47% of households were placed in temporary accommodation outside the borough in April, thought this is down from a peak of 65% in October 2024, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Almost half of homeless Waltham Forest residents are being housed outside the borough, a new report reveals.

Around 47% of households were living in temporary accommodation beyond the borough in April, which the council says is due to the “limited supply of homes and high cost of housing locally”.

Residents facing homelessness are commonly owed a house duty by their local council, which means the town hall will find them settled accommodation to keep them off the streets.

While 47% is a considerable figure, it is down from a peak of 65% in October 2024.

The number of households living in such housing has fallen from a peak of 1,710 in September 2025 to 1,527 in April.

However, the council says it “remains a significant financial challenge,” and “we are forecast to spend £19.9m on [temporary accommodation] in this financial year alone”.

“Most importantly this means far too many of our residents continue to be living in [temporary accommodation] which we know impacts significantly on their health, wellbeing and life chances,” the report says.

The council says it aims to minimise the number of households being placed out of the borough, and “understands the serious challenges often caused by living further away from local networks, schools and employment”.

However, this “must be balanced against the council’s statutory duties and
the significant financial pressures it faces”.

The council says it has made progress in the housing sector over the last year “amid significant and persistent financial pressures”.

“We need to do more across the board to improve the experience of our residents, particularly when it comes to the services we provide as a landlord, and to do everything within our power as a local authority to reduce the number of households living in temporary accommodation,” the report concluded.

The report will go before top Green councillors at a cabinet meeting next week.

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