Homeless in England, a reality for 120,000 kids

The number of homeless children in Britain living in temporary accommodation has rocketed to more than 120,000, a shock report revealed Saturday.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 350 town and city councils in England, described the current situation as unsustainable.

The association says the number of homeless children councils are having to house has increased by more than a third in the last three years.

Latest figures show councils are currently providing temporary housing for 120,540 children with their families, which is a net increase of 32,650 (37 percent) since 2014, an average of 906 extra children every month.

"Placements in temporary accommodation can present serious challenges for families, from parents' employment and health to children's ability to focus on school studies and form friendships," says the LGA.

The association adds that the current situation is now unsustainable, with the net cost of providing temporary accommodation tripling as the extra demand places increasing pressure on local government.

The crisis comes as local councils face a 7.6 billion U.S. dollars gap in funding by 2020.

In its new report Saturday called "Housing our Homeless Households", the LGA sets out the lengths councils are going to in order to tackle homelessness. Examples include innovative modular housing, dynamic purchasing systems and private rented sector offers.

But the LGA said councils need to be able to build more genuinely affordable homes and provide the support that reduces the risk of homelessness in the first place. Council leaders are also calling for an adaption to the implementation of welfare reforms to reduce the risk of homelessness and for access to funding to provide settled accommodation for families that become homeless.

The LGA says the leading cause of homelessness is now the loss of rented housing at 39 percent, ahead of relatives or friends no longer able to provide a place to stay (26 percent) and the breakdown of a relationship (17 percent).

In response to the report, the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "Whilst temporary accommodation is vital in making sure that no family is without a roof over their head, councils have a responsibility to find secure good quality accommodation as quickly as possible. This government is determined to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, that's why we're investing 550 million pounds (715 million U.S. dollars) to help tackle the issue.