More households facing homelessness are set to benefit from plans to expand the delivery of temporary accommodation across North Yorkshire by almost 25 per cent.
We are looking to increase the number of temporary homes delivered across the county, providing safe and suitable accommodation for vulnerable households.
The proposals reflect growing demand for temporary accommodation and a particular need for more one-bedroom homes for single people and couples facing homelessness.
Councils across the country are facing mounting pressures to support people at risk of homelessness. More than 132,000 households were living in temporary accommodation in England in June 2025, the highest figure since records began and a 7.6 per cent increase on the previous year.
The number of children living in temporary accommodation has also continued to rise nationally, highlighting the growing scale of the challenge.
In North Yorkshire, demand has risen sharply in recent years, with spending on emergency housing increasing by more than 400 per cent since 2019/20.
The move will strengthen our proactive approach to preventing homelessness by increasing the supply of council-owned accommodation and reducing the reliance on costly hotels and bed and breakfast (B&B) placements.
Once fully delivered, the programme could save up to £2.7 million a year in emergency accommodation costs.
The proposals are due to be considered by our executive when they meet on Tuesday next week (15 September).
Executive member for housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “Everyone deserves access to safe, secure and suitable accommodation when they are facing difficult circumstances.
“The demand for homelessness support and temporary accommodation has increased significantly in recent years, and we are seeing a growing need for smaller one-bedroom homes.
“Our work in this area has received national recognition from the Government – and we will not stop there.
“We have already made strong progress as part of a proactive approach to delivering new temporary accommodation across North Yorkshire. We remain committed to supporting vulnerable households while reducing our reliance on hotel and B&B accommodation, which comes at a significant cost to the taxpayer.
“By increasing our delivery programme, we can provide more people with appropriate accommodation as part of a long-term solution, while continuing our commitment to preventing homelessness and rough sleeping.”
Spending on temporary accommodation has risen significantly in recent years, increasing from just over £500,000 in 2019/20 to more than £2.1 million in 2022/23.
As part of its long-term commitment to supporting vulnerable households and reducing these rising costs, we have already delivered 20 temporary homes, with a further 40 properties currently undergoing improvement works before being brought into use.
We currently have access to 191 purpose-built and converted temporary accommodation units, some of which it owns and manages.
However, provision is not evenly distributed across North Yorkshire, and there is a shortage of smaller properties, particularly one and two-bedroom homes.
As a result, we are is proposing to invest £18 million in a development programme that would see 112 temporary accommodation homes delivered across the county, an increase from the 90 homes initially proposed.
As well as improving outcomes for residents, once the homes are delivered and occupied, the council expects the expanded programme to deliver significant annual savings by reducing spending on emergency accommodation.
The proposals form part of our first-ever homelessness and rough sleeping strategy, which was adopted last year and reaffirms the authority’s ambition to protect vulnerable people and support communities.
The report to the executive can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF here.