Overview
- Shelter’s snapshot finds 1,113 people in Norfolk in temporary accommodation or rough sleeping at Christmas, with South Norfolk rising to 278 and declines in Breckland to 210 and Norwich to 58.
- Colchester reports 472 families in temporary housing as of mid-November, including 525 children, with 30 children in B&Bs and a total of 1,146 people.
- The council says 53 families are in B&Bs and 164 families are using former student accommodation as a short-term alternative.
- Colchester is in the process of acquiring 50 homes now and plans a further 50 buy-backs and new builds in both 2025/26 and 2026/27, alongside property handovers from Persimmon and Mersea Homes.
- Officials cite high interest rates and landlords leaving the private rental market as key drivers, and note the government subsidy covers about 34% of accommodation costs compared with the 90% originally intended.