Furniture retailer IKEA and Shelter has unveiled a harrowing ‘UNWELCOME HOME’ doll’s house, revealing the shocking truth of life in temporary accommodation for thousands of children who are homeless in England.

IKEA has converted its FLISAT Doll’s Houses into unwelcome homes in London Wembley, Manchester (Ashton-under-Lyne) and Birmingham (Wednesbury) stores.

The display, which is based on lived experience insights, urges people to take a closer look at the reality for many of the 151,630 children homeless in temporary accommodation, revealing mouldy walls, rats, dangerous wiring, cramped spaces and mattresses on the floor.

A dire shortage of social homes, rising evictions and sky-high private rents are forcing more families across the country into homelessness. As a result, the number of children currently in temporary accommodation has increased by 15% in the last year, marking the highest number since records began in 2004.

This ‘temporary’ solution is far from temporary for many. Temporary accommodation is provided by councils to qualifying families who are homeless while they wait for their application to be processed and to be offered a settled home, and can take the form of emergency hostels, B&Bs, one room bedsits and cramped flats. It was never intended to be used outside of emergencies, but with a chronic shortage in social housing, almost half (47%) of families who are homeless in temporary accommodation have been there for more than two years – often trapped in uncertainty and intolerable conditions.

Cities that have some of the highest rates of children living in temporary accommodation include London with one in 22, Birmingham with one in 28 children and Manchester with one in 30. Find out how many children are homeless in your area.

The UNWELCOME HOME doll’s house was based on Shelter’s 2023 landmark report into the realities of living in temporary accommodation, which found three-quarters (75%) of households live in poor conditions.

One in five (21%) experienced a safety hazard, such as faulty wiring or fire risks. More than two thirds (68%) of people have inadequate access to basic facilities, such as cooking or laundry facilities. More than one in three (35%) parents said their children don’t even have their own bed.

IKEA and Shelter are continuing their partnership to raise awareness of the housing emergency, calling on the Government to build more genuinely affordable social homes, ensuring that by 2030, half a million people have access to a better life at home.

The UNWELCOME HOME doll’s house urges people to take a closer look at the scale of the problem and to sign an open letter calling on the Government to commit to building 90,000 social rent homes each year for ten years.

Hiliary Jenkins, Partnerships Lead at IKEA UK and Ireland said: “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. Families homeless in temporary accommodation face insecurity, cramped conditions and sometimes serious hazards, which is unacceptable.

“Alongside Shelter, we’re shining a light on the horrifying conditions experienced by families who are stuck in homeless accommodation which is proving to be anything but temporary. Our UNWELCOME HOME doll’s houses are there to encourage customers to take a closer look at the issues right on their doorsteps, as we call on the Government to build a new generation of social rent homes for families, to help tackle the housing emergency.”

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: “Temporary accommodation truly is horrifying, with families crammed into emergency hostels and grotty B&Bs often miles away from their schools and jobs. Through our partnership with IKEA, we’re showing the grim reality facing the one in 78 children growing up homeless in this country, from being forced to share beds with their siblings, or bathrooms with strangers, to dangerous and damp conditions.

“With rents at a record high, evictions rising and so few social homes available, we desperately need government action. The only way to help families into a safe and secure home and end homelessness is to build genuinely affordable social homes – we need 90,000 a year for ten years.”

Shelter and IKEA’s UNWELCOME HOME will be on display in IKEA’s London Wembley, Manchester Ashton-under-Lyne and Birmingham Wednesbury stores from 18 September.