News / bristol city council
Hotels for homeless costing council £1m a year
Booking hotel rooms for homeless people is estimated to cost Bristol City Council almost £1m a year due to a shortage of temporary accommodation.
The council is planning to invest in providing more supported housing for homeless people and cutting costs on hotels.
Hotels are only used “as a last resort” for people who are homeless, but their use has steadily increased this year.
is needed now More than ever
Levels of homelessness in Bristol and across the country have been rising since the cost of living crisis and the end of an eviction ban during the pandemic.
Hotel rooms are estimated to cost the council £975,000 next year, but this figure is expected to sharply fall by 2026. The cabinet is expected to sign off a three-year extension to a contract for booking hotel rooms during a public meeting on Tuesday.
A cabinet report said: “Since the pandemic we have seen a 25 per cent increase in households, on average 510 a month, approaching Bristol City Council because of homelessness related issues.
“The number of households in temporary accommodation is 87 per cent higher than before the pandemic.
“Family homelessness has increased since the end of lockdowns and protections like the eviction ban. The cost of living crisis and continuing challenges around affordability of both home ownership and private renting are contributing to high levels of homelessness presentations.”
Council bosses are trying to reduce how much they spend on expensive and privately managed temporary accommodation.
They plan to increase how much temporary housing is provided by the council, and are working with housing associations to open new supported accommodation. There are over 1,300 households in Bristol in temporary accommodation.
The cabinet report added: “Bristol City Council currently needs to secure hotel accommodation as a last resort for clients who are homeless, when there are no other suitable alternatives. Our use of hotels has increased in the last few months as more clients have become homeless.”
Over the last few months, housing homeless people in hotel rooms cost the council: £27,450 in May, £43,952 in June, £62,304 in July, and £98,630 in August, according to the report.
The council expects hotel placements to “see a steady decline” after about six months, due to new temporary housing becoming available, with annual costs falling to £60,000 by 2026.
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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