An open letter has been presented to the First Minister highlighting the alarming amount of people in temporary accommodation across Wales

On Wednesday 9 July, Shelter Cymru and the Bevan Foundation were joined at the Senedd by over a dozen people with lived experience of the housing emergency to deliver an open letter to the First Minister signed by more than 1,000 people from across Wales.

A letter that calls for more determined more action to drive down the numbers of people in temporary accommodation and to increase the availability of permanent homes.

With the latest statistics showing that more than 10,500 people – 2,500 of which are children - are trapped living in places like B&Bs or caravan parks the need for change could not be clearer.

The latest figures for April 2025 show that 137 people in Ceredigion, 40 of which were under the age of 16, were in temporary accommodation.

In the same month, there were 429 people in temporary accommodation in Gwynedd, 94 of which being under 16.

Powys recorded 410, with 83 under 16 and Carmarthenshire 334 people in temporary accommodation, including 48 children.

But over the course of the last Senedd the number of households in Temporary Accommodation have almost doubled – driven by a range of factors including the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and a shortage of affordable homes such as social homes.

For many, living in temporary accommodation means cramped, miserable conditions that are unsuitable for their needs.

And this means thousands of people in Wales are being held back and seeing their opportunities limited because we are unable to provide them with the safe, secure, suitable and affordable home they deserve.

Recent months have seen progress, with numbers in temporary accommodation beginning to fall and record investment being pledged to deliver new social homes in Wales.

However, the reality is that half of families with children in temporary accommodation have been there for more than six months.

Robin White, Head of Campaigns, Shelter Cymru said: “These are the harrowing stories we hear every day from people coming to us for help, people who need a safe, secure, suitable and genuinely affordable social home but who are left with temporary accommodation because of a system that simply isn’t working.

“We know local authorities don’t want to be reliant on B&Bs and other expensive, short-term solutions.

“That’s why we need the Welsh Government to make tackling the housing emergency a cross-government priority and continue to grow investment in providing social homes.”

This is not just a human issue but also a financial one, costing local authorities £100 million a year.

Wendy Dearden, Senior Policy and Research Officer, Bevan Foundation said: “The current situation is untenable, and we are asking the Senedd to act swiftly and decisively. There is no time to waste.”

Robin White added: “This letter is not only a reflection of the growing dissatisfaction with the current situation in terms of temporary accommodation in Wales, but it is also a desperate call for change.”